I've Met You Once Before
by Kazima Kuwabara
Summary: With college almost completed, Kuwabara needs a change of scenery. He's ready to begin life as an adult, and avoid talking about what happened to him a year ago. His chance for a fresh start comes with Koenma asking to investigate some strange sightings in Tokyo. Will Kuwabara get to enjoy his fresh start or will memories of the past awaken? (het,yuri,yaoi ships)(a NaNoWriMo fic)
1. An Awkward Reunion

Hey Guys I hope you enjoy this story! It's going to be at least 50,000 words long, but i have a hunch it will be longer. I hope you stick around and enjoy the ride! I have not fully decided on ships but for sure I know these will be present: Usagi/Mamoru, Kuwabara/Yusuke, Yukina/Shizuru. I may or may not have crossover ships, just to give a heads up!

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Kuwabara walked quietly down a long hallway, his eyes staring straight ahead. He was being extra careful to not stray from his line of sight, not wishing to lock eyes with any old familiar face he might run into. It was going to be hard enough talking to Koenma, so running into anyone else that might know him would just make this all more difficult. As his steps echoed down the hall, Kuwabara began to regret even agreeing to show up to spirit world.

He no longer had any reason to be here.

He was not rushing off for a mission, or meeting with Koenma to have a friendly chit-chat. Kazuma Kuwabara was going to school, college in fact. It had been hard, and he had faltered many times, but now at the age of twenty-six, he was almost ready to graduate. He needed to complete one more task, and he would have his degree by the next semester. Kuwabara had jumped around within college, unsure what he wanted from the experience. It took a year, but during a grueling study session, Kuwabara recalled how poorly his teachers had been to him. No one had given him a fair shake at school. But it hadn't been just him that suffered.

It seemed that any student who wasn't your typical average Japanese student didn't get the attention they deserved. And if there was a teacher that cared, there were just too many students that needed help. With some shock from his friends, and even from himself, Kuwabara had decided he would be a teacher. He would be the teacher he never got to have. He just needed to get his student teaching out of the way, and he'd be done with school and launching into his new life as an academic role model.

Kuwabara couldn't resist chuckling aloud at the thought.

Years later, he still found his choice to be a teacher, terribly and humorously ironic.

So Kuwabara's life was getting wrapped up, everything was falling into place. There was no reason to be here...and yet here he was. A letter from Koenma, asking for Kuwabara's help, had the young man running, ready to leap back into action. Just like the old days.

So why was he even here? He was not a spirit detective anymore. He had no reason to answer this call for help... and yet...

Kuwabara came to a stop in front of a familiar set of doors.

They were still ostentatious, too large, and bright pink. He smiled to himself as a little rush of eagerness stirred within him. It reminded him of those days with his friends, heading off on their next adventure. Those missions had been trying, but through them, Kuwabara has learned a lot about himself and formed friendships that were stronger than the bonds of family. Hell, even Hiei held a special place in Kuwabara's heart that others couldn't replace!

"Ugh...I'm disgusting!" Kuwabara wheezed as he tried to shake the warm and gooey feelings that were washing over him.

He wasn't even pushing thirty and he was already having sentimental thoughts like an old man!

Kuwabara shook his head clearing his head and steeling his heart. He raised a hand to knock on the doors. As his hand lifted up, the doors suddenly swung inwards on their own, revealing an ornate office. Or at least it used to be.

The office had once been done in the taste of Koenma's father, Yenma. However, it seemed since Koenma has usurped his father, the office had received some updates. The office no longer was filled with useless red pillars and large potted plants. The office now had a more modern and even minimalistic look. The pillars were gone, as were the plants, and everything was painted in various shades of blue and gray. Koenma's desk had been updated to a larger black model, and an additional desk was placed in the corner. Both desks teetered with neat stacks of papers. Overall, the room seemed cleaner, and emptier, though no doubt Koenma still had his large wall-sized monitor screen tucked away somewhere.

Sitting behind the new desk, in his teenaged form, was Koenma, his hands hurriedly pressing a stamp into some stacks of paper. He was only visible from about the nose up due to the stacks of papers, and his brown eyes seemed to be focused on his work. Kuwabara cleared his throat, unsure of what he should say to get the Demi-god's attention.

Koenma looked up, and then very quickly his eyes darted to Kuwabara's leg, before going back up to look Kuwabara in the eyes.

Kuwabara pursed his lips and put his hands in his pockets so Koenma would not see the fists he was making. He hated it when people did that. They always gave him this look now. A look at him, then his leg, and then back up again.

With that look, it reminded Kuwabara why he hadn't been sure of coming.

Koenma, sensing he has already made a misstep, quickly got up and plastered on a large smile, his pacifier shifting to one side.

"Kuwabara! You got my letter! Thank you for coming!"

Koenma then hurried to meet Kuwabara his hand extended for a handshake.

Kuwabara took it, giving a hard firm shake, before clearing his throat, "Yeah...It was... kinda weird to get a letter from you. It's not what I expected."

"You cut your hair!" Koenma declared, clearly missing anything Kuwabara had just said.

Kuwabara instinctively reached up and touched his hair. His sister had given him a haircut called an, "Undercut." She claimed that if he was going off to be a teacher, his students neede to respect him and the Pompadour had to go. Kuwabara had reluctantly allowed her to do so, as his College professor had told Kuwabara his hair wouldn't be appropriate as a student teacher. The undercut was a nice modern style, and people praised his slightly curly copper hair with new zeal, but Kuwabara swore that when he was a teacher-his Pomp was coming back!

"Oh yeah...my professor said a lot of schools won't accept me as a student teacher if my hair looked like it did...so Shizuru cut it for me," Kuwabara explained, reflexively ruffling the longer part of his hair.

Koenma nodded, his eyes staring at Kuwabara's hair for a long time, before looking at his face. There was an awkward pause, where Koenma just seemed to be looking at Kuwabara. It was odd and a little uncomfortable, but in truth, Kuwabara understood why Koenma was looking at him. It had been almost a year since the pair had last talked or met up with one another.

The silence eventually got to be too much, and Kuwabara cleared his throat, "So...You said you wanted to see if I could help you?"

Koenma shook himself out of his trance, and laughed, his voice coming out high and force, "Yes! Yes of course. You see Kuwabara, I was hoping that I could rely on your extremely high spiritual awareness to help me out with a problem." Koennma looked Kuwabara in the eye, and the taller man nodded gesturing for Koenma to continue.

Koenma nodded, smiling tightly, and then abruptly began to pace, folding his hands behind his back.

"Near Tokyo, it has come to my attention that some strange things are happening. I must admit, they have been happening for a while, but for a time I was too busy to really pay it any attention. But now these mysterious happenings-well there are just too many to ignore!" Koenma burst, throwing his hands up.

Kuwabara's eyes darted over Koenma, extremely curious about Koenma's stressed and wild behavior. "Go on, I'm listening," Kuwabara proclaimed, and then he began to pace with Koenma, slightly following behind the demi-god's tense pace.

"Low-level monsters are appearing in the street! In broad daylight!" Koenma continued, eyes focused down on the floor as he paced, "And they are not demons, but monsters! These creatures have power...but it doesn't seem to be quite demonic. It's...different somehow! And there are many different kinds, all attacking the people of Tokyo for... well that I'm not sure of either. I've sent agents to investigate, and they report that not only are there monsters running about, but there are...girls fighting them. And these girls have power as well! The girls' powers appear to be a mixture of spiritual power...and something else!"

"Something else?" Kuwabara echoed.

Koenma looked to Kuwabara sharply and nodded, "Yes. Laced with psychic ability, and elements like water and fire, and so on... but there is something else! Something that goes beyond the human realm. The power is so strong I can't tell what it is! I don't understand what is happening, or even if this is a threat, but I was hoping you-" Koenma turned sharply around to fully face Kuwabara. In doing so, his leg accidentally swung out and caught Kuwabara's left ankle.

Kuwabara grimaced, and his hand shot out to steady himself, while Koenma was rushing forward to help. The demi-god grasped Kuwabara and righted the man, hooking his arm around Kuwabara's waist. He did not let Kuwabara go and instead clung to the taller man, looking down at Kuwabara's legs with clear alarm.

"Oh, my Goodness Kuwabara! Did that hurt!?"

"Just a bit-"

"Well of course it hurt! What a stupid question of me-"

"Koenma-"

"I am so sorry! Let me get you a chair-"

"No. Stop-"

"Is it better to walk? I can't believe I did such a-"

"Stop. Stop! It is really no big deal-"

"thing! I'm mortified! Kuwabara! Please, please come sit! You can use my office chair-"

 **"That. Is. Enough!"** Kuwabara snarled shoving the clinging man away. Kuwabara's face was flushed red, and orange electricity cackled off his shoulders, and his eyes flashed gold. Koenma released Kuwabara, wincing as the energy that snapped off Kuwabara stung him. The energy lowered, but Kuwabara was still furious, and his eyes glowed with a barely contained power.

"I did not come here to be treated like some sort of...some sort of cripple! (At this Koenma gasped loudly and his skin turned the shade of milk) I thought I had come here to help **you** with something! I didn't come here to be coddled, or for anyone to make a scene over poor stupid Kuwabara's injury! I'm done with the babying! And the avoiding! I thought..." Kuwabara took in a deep breath, and let it out in a shuddering breath as he tried to school his emotions back under control, "I thought I was done...with all this." Kuwabara waved his hands between himself and Koenma, refusing to look back at the man, his anger quickly boiling down to shame.

He should not have come.

There was a long silence, with neither party seeming to know what to say, or who should act first. Koenma, mercifully, made the first move with a quiet, "I don't think you're a cripple. I'm sorry. What happened...was such a big deal. For everyone. And I...I can't help but feel responsible-"

Kuwabara's head whipped around to Koenma, who immediately pressed his lips together in silence from Kuwabara's explosive look.

"This is not your fault!" Kuwabara half-roared, grinding out each word clearly. His nostrils flared in agitation, but when he spoke again it was in a calmer but insistent tone, "What happened to me was not your fault. Not anyone's! You...you must know that."

Koenma's shoulder's sagged, "Kuwabara...you have to understand. I sent you there. I sent you-"

"You didn't send me anywhere!" Kuwabara dismissed, "I went myself. I went with Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei... and shit! Shit got...bad! But it always got rough on missions! You can't blame my injury on my choosing to go on a mission. The only person at fault is the person who did..." Kuwabara's hand reflexively touched his left leg, "who did this to me. You can't blame yourself for this. No one can. The only person at fault is rotting in hell right now."

Koenma sighed, "I understand what you're saying...and I am trying not to...not to worry I suppose? This feeling of remorse and guilt isn't something I can just shut off. I will try to do better. But... trust me. There's not a single thing out there that I believe you can't do. I have complete faith in all you do. I'm not coddling you, or babying you...or treating you...like you have a handicap. But I'm still worried about you because... well I like you and I think...well..."

"We are friends Koenma. Even if absent of late. We're friends," Kuwabara quietly confirmed.

The tension eased, as the pair shared awkward smiles.

"So...what did you want me to do again?" Kuwabara asked, briskly swinging his arms as he felt the need to do something.

"I know that you will begin your student teaching soon. I was hoping you would agree for me to make it so the school sends you to the Juuban district in Tokyo. This is where most of this weird activity is taking place. I'm hoping you can use your psychic abilities to pick up on the weird energy coming from these creatures, and from these girls and give me more of a clue as to what is going on. Perhaps you'll even be able to sense who these girls are," Koenma explained, "Your powers have come through for you before. In the dark tournament, you were able to find out what happened to En, Ryo, and Kai. If a dream revealed what was forcing them to fight during the tournament, I thought perhaps if you went to Juuban you might have another useful dream."

"My predictions have been coming in clearer and clearer over the years," Kuwabara agreed, "If I goto Juuban...I really might be able to sense something. What about the monsters, and these powerful girls? What should I do if I encounter them?"

"If you run into the monsters, and you can capture it, that would be ideal. If we brought one of these creatures here we could determine if they're demonic...or man-made," Koenma explained, eyebrows raising to his hairline as if the last part of his sentence had just dawned on him.

"You think these weird monsters are man-made?" Kuwabara asked, squinting curiously at Koenma.

"Now I'm starting to," Koenma affirmed, "How else would I not be able to recognize this odd energy coming from them? We've seen attempts at this before. Perhaps someone has tried to make their own version of demons to continue the traditions of my father. Pitting demons against humans once again."

Kuwabara nodded agreeing with Koenma's line of thought. There were holes of course. How were the demons being made? Who would do it? Why would they do it? But these were all questions Kuwabara felt could be answered if he actually did go to Tokyo. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Kuwabara asked, "And the girls?"

"Try to avoid them if you can. Or at least don't let them see you. If you could figure them out, and where they stand on this... that's really all I want," Koenma reasoned as he rubbed the back of his neck, "To my knowledge, they are fighting the monsters and that's it. Protecting mankind-"

"Supergirls," Kuwabara concluded with a nod.

Koenma smiled, "Well yes. Supergirls. Superheroes, even. And if that's the case and you can find a way to approach them, I'd like to meet them. I'm only keeping my distance for the simple fact that their powers, like the monsters, is something I've never seen before."

"If you set it up through my school...I'd be happy to do this. I'll get my student teaching done, and walk around the Juuban district, and into Tokyo. I'm sure I can figure out something. Just...you said you sent agents out to Juuban. What happened? Why do you need me specifically?" Kuwabara asked tilting his head as rolled his questions out.

"My agents were all attacked at some point," Koenma answered seriously. Crossing his arms, and sitting on the edge of his desk, Koenma let out a deep sigh, "They couldn't sense anyone, and they each can barely remember the accident. But they claim the monsters attacked them and pulled things from their body. Spiritual energy, their life-force, and something else. Something physical, like a crystal of some sort. One swears a mirror came out of their chest. They then admitted to blacking out and waking up seeing the girls leave the scene, and the monster gone. A few think the girls attacked them, the rest think the girls saved them. One agent thinks they were overwhelmed by something of a more Psionic manipulative nature."

"A Psi-what now?" Kuwabara guffawed, eyes bulging at the word.

Koenma grinned, "Something of a more psychic power nature. Telekinesis. Precognition. Omnikinesis. All of the above!"

"So...just a bunch of psychic powers. Like what I do?" Kuwabara asked wishing Koenma could just speak more simply.

Koenma nodded, "Yes. Which I why I want to send you. Fight fire with fire. Or in this case, psychic with psychic."

Kuwabara smirked, "Okay. I get it now. But you do admit I'm just bait right? You get that, right?"

Koenma frowned, "You're not bait!"

"I'm bait," Kuwabara snickered, "And because I'm bait... what do I do if the girls are in on it."

Koenma bit the bottom of his lip, "Contact me preferably... if you have to defend yourself. Fight them. Can... you do that?"

Kuwabara nodded, "Yes. Now I can."

Koenma nodded flattening his lips against each other and looking away. After a moment he mumbled, "You really aren't bait."

Kuwabara laughed hard and smacked Koenma against the shoulder with a friendly hand. "I am too you fuckin' diaper baby! But that's okay. I get your reasoning. When do I go?"

"I expect your teacher will bring this up in a week. You'll have to move to be in the area, and I expect you'll be there for four months, and at most a year," Koenma's voice faltered a bit. The mission was more or less an undercover mission and could take some time for some results. Kuwabara would be gone for longer than he and his friends had ever been gone when they worked together. Koenma was incredibly nervous to send Kuwabara on his own and privately wondered if he'd made the right decision on this.

"If you are attacked, you must come back. You must abort this mission," Koenma insisted, tone suddenly sharp. "And if you get over your head, I have a specially made watch for you. It will call here directly, and I will come get you. I don't want you to do something... that will cost you."

Koenma glance quickly at Kuwabara's leg.

This time, Kuwabara chose to ignore the look.

"Done. I'm ready, get it all arranged," Kuwabara said, shrugging his shoulders. He turned, making his way towards the door, "Well if that's all, I'm going to start pack-"

"Yusuke and the others aren't back," Koenma suddenly interjected. There was a hesitation in his voice, and he spoke like the words were being pulled from him, "They are still...out. They won't be back for at least a month more...so they won't know-"

"Good," Kuwabara interrupted. "They don't need to know. I will tell them I'm doing my student teaching when they come back."

"Kuwabara-" Koenma began.

"Don't tell them Koenma," Kuwabara pleaded, his voice soft, and his back towards the demi-god. "Dont...tell them. You know... they've been a bit... overprotective since..." Kuwabara gripped his pant leg. The silence dragged on between the two, but Kuwabara couldn't bring himself to say it. He hated to admit, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about the past without feeling shame.

He hated being pitied, but the gut wrenching shame he felt was even harder.

"I won't tell them. But... please consider doing it before the mission is complete. They really care about you," Koenma insisted, "They just... want you to be okay. And... well since Harumi-"

Kuwabara made a weird sound in his throat that silenced Koenma. The ruler of spirit world shot a hand over his mouth, stopping any more words from spilling from his mouth. He watched Kuwabara with wide alarmed eyes and felt a pang of guilt shoot through him as he watched Kuwabara shudder. When Kuwabara's shudder ran its course, the taller man's shoulders sagged and Kuwabara seemed much smaller. Koenma was grateful he could not see Kuwabara's face at this moment.

"I know..." Kuwabara's voice was tired, and cracked as he spoke, "I know. everyone is worried about me. My sister is worried about me. Yukina is worried about me. Genkai is worried about me. And Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei can't even seem to face some days. I never thought I'd miss Hiei's fuckin' snappy remarks... but nothing is as it used to be. I need a fresh start. I can't be asked to stay at home while everyone else is out there protecting me from the whole stupid world. I can't be the person who sits at home. It just...kills me Koenma..." Kuwabara's voice dropped off and he dropped his head into his chest. After a beat, Kuwabara resumed his retreat and limped from Koenma's office.

Koenma watched Kuwabara's limping form fade from view, unable to tear his eyes away long after Kuwabara was fully out of sight.

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End of Chapter 1


	2. White Walls

Since this is a NaNoWriMo challenge the chapters might get a bit long. I've got about 48,000 words total so far. (Not with this chapter alone of course. I've got quite a few chapters written up already) So just, fair warning now some of the chapters might be doozies!

I will keep posting as long as I get reviews, so I hope you enjoy.

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It took Kuwabara less than two weeks to get moved.

It was rather amusing to be in the know, as Kuwabara's teacher suddenly came to him proclaiming he'd found a perfect school for Kuwabara to get his experience at. Kuwabara was happy to agree of course, and accept this chance to get "some good experience towards his chosen career." Only briefly did Kuwabara wonder how Koenma managed to get the idea in his teacher's head, that Kuwabara needed to go work at a school in Tokyo. Eventually, Kuwabara shrugged it off, it was an answer he'd never get anyway.

When Kuwabara got home and explained his plans however, his sister seemed hesitant.

"It's...far Kazuma," Shizuru had said as she nervously stroked her hair. Her other arm rested around her waist, and her foot was tapping. She was making an effort not to touch Kuwabara, or place a protective grip on his shoulder.

She'd been making a real effort to stop hovering.

"Forty-five minutes really isn't that far...and forty-five is if I don't take the bullet train," Kuwabara said soothingly. He took a step forward and took her hand in both of his. Shizuru brought her free hand on top of his and looked down at Kuwabara's hands frowning. She would rather look at his hand than look him in the eye. In this way should she could hide her worry, and deep concern rather than burden him with.

Kuwabara was truly grateful for the efforts Shizuru put out for him.

"Kazu..." She started to speak, but her words faltered and her mouth closed.

"Shizuru I know you're worried. But I'm better. I've been better for months. And I'm not rushing off into something dangerous...I'm just going to work at a school," Kuwabara lied with surprising ease. "I will call you-every day if you want!" Kuwabara promised squeezing Shizuru's hand. "It'll be good for me... to do something...right?"

Shizuru immediately looked at Kuwabara, and her hand flew to his shoulder giving it a squeeze, "Yes. Yes, of course, it's good for you to do this. I don't...don't want to ever hold you back. I just like knowing where you are, and that you're home at night. But...I won't be the reason you stay in a cage." Her voice grew stronger as she spoke, and then she embraced Kuwabara wrapping her brother in a strong hug.

"I'm so proud of my annoying little brother! You'll do great!"

Kuwabara held her in his arms, only feeling mildly guilty about not telling her the full truth.

Now, two weeks later, surrounded by white walls and brown boxes in his new apartment, that guilt resurfaced ten-fold.

"I needed this," Kuwabara told himself as he tried not to think of his sister. "I didn't lie, I just didn't tell her everything." Kuwabara began to pace, guiltly twisting his hands together.

"I couldn't stay at home. I needed to leave. I need this. I need this," Kuwabara continued to mutter. But no matter what he said to himself that knot of guilt wasn't letting up. Shizuru had been so worried. She was good at acting like nothing was wrong, and that everything was okay. She had helped Kuwabara pack his things, and even padded Kuwabara's bank account so he could buy himself a couch or some other apartment necessity. All the while she'd dropped some comments about making sure he called his friends to let them know where he was.

Suddenly thinking of Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei sent another pang of guilt into Kuwabara's gut, and Kuwabara needed to sit down.

What would they do when they found out he'd moved away without a word sent to them?

Kuwabara walked to his bathroom and closed the lid of his toilet before taking a seat on the porcelain throne. Kuwabara did not have furniture yet, and the bathroom, for now, was the best place for him to sit. He would sit on the floor, but then his leg would act up, and getting up would be a pain. Kuwabara sighed, rubbing his knee as he looked around the small pale blue bathroom. The wall on his left had the vanity, and the mirror took up the rest of the room. Directly across was a pink tiled shower, and a suspiciously gray shower curtain.

"That's gotta change," Kuwabara mumbled, as he cringed to think how long that shower curtain had been there.

Kuwabara sighed and looked to his wrist examining the watch Koenma had given him. It was large, black and square. It had four little buttons along the face, and other than that was rather plain. One button was for the time, the second contacted Koenma, the third would allow Kuwabara to record sounds around him, and the fourth could play back the audio.

Kuwabara had no idea which button was which.

Koenma had, of course, told him, but Kuwabara had forgotten the directions almost immediately.

'Well...no time like the present,' Kuwabara thought and proceeded to press and fiddle with his new gadget.

After two minutes, Koenma's hyper-concerned face popped up on the little black screen, "What?! What is it!?"

Kuwabara grinned, "Ah so that's what that button does!"

Koenma's face fell, "Really? REALLY? I wrote down what the buttons did for you!"

Kuwabara shrugged, "I haven't unpacked yet!"

Koenma sighed, dropping his head in his hands. He groaned audibly, Kuwabara chuckling at him smugly.

"I guess it's good you called...I feel I should warn you," Koenma grated, his voice ending on a high note.

Kuwabara winced a sense of dread draping over his shoulders. "Warn me about what?"

As fate would have it, Kuwabara's question was immediately answered by the sound of someone pounding on his door.

Kuwabara looked out through the bathroom entryway, and out towards his front door. And then he was looking back at the screen, glaring at Koenma who could also clearly hear the knocking. Koenma's face was twisted in a mix of shame, guilt, and grim acceptance.

"What did you do?" Kuwabara hissed keeping his voice low, "Who is that?"

"I didn't do anything!" Koenma cried defensively, "You know how she is! She saw the open file I have for this case, saw your name...and she twisted the information out of me! She...maybe also got your new address too..."

As Koenma whined and tried to weasel himself out of any trouble Kuwabara might bestow on him, Botan's voice could be heard over everything, "Kuwabara! Kuwabara open this door! It's me! I've come to see you! Open the door Kuwabara!"

Kuwabara let his head drop into his chest, and he groaned. Koenma was still trying to explain himself from Kuwabara's watch and to exonerate all guilt from the situation, but Kuwabara wasn't having it. "I'll deal with you later," Kuwabara promised, before hanging up on Koenma, and returning his watch back to its incognito stare.

Bracing a hand on the bathroom sink, he hauled himself up, and trudged towards his door calling, "I'm coming Botan! Hold on, and quit shouting!"

"I'm not shouting!" Botan shouted from the other side of Kuwabara's front door.

The tall man bit his lip, but even that couldn't stop his smile. Kuwabara finally reached the door and swung it open. But he didn't even get a chance to seem they hyper, and normally chatty grim reaper, as she was immediately barging in. Placing a hand on his chest Botan pushed Kuwabara back and then against a wall, the top of her bushy blue ponytail smacking him in the face and obscuring his vision. He just managed to press her hair away from his face, when Botan was calling for someone.

"Okay fellas, bring it in!"

In a bit of stunned awe, Kuwabara watched as what looked to be Ogres in disguise began carrying large pieces of furniture into his apartment.

"Botan...what...?"

"I just found out what is going on here, and I must say I can't believe you just left! You should have talked to me, or waited! Genkai and Yukin didn't even know you left! We could have all helped you move! Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei don't know either, and you **know** Yusuke would have helped you move here! Also, why didn't you demand Koenma set you up properly?! If this is a mission then he needs to make sure you're comfortable in your new abode! Well, I gave Koenma a good tongue lashing, and when I get back I'll yell at him some more!. Oh but, look Kuwabara! I got Koenma to donate old furniture from his offices! We have a couch, some nice sofa chairs, a dining set, even a few pieces of patio furniture for you! You'll be living-"

Kuwabara placed a hand over Botan's mouth, silencing the woman from her ramble. He stared at her, his head spinning as he tried to piece out everything she said. Looking into her pink eyes Kuwabara let out an exasperated sigh before he smiled, "...It's good to see you Botan."

Botan's pink eyes flooded with tears, and then the woman burst out crying before throwing her arms around Kuwabara and hugging him tightly around his neck. Kuwabara slipped an arm around Botan's waist, and picked the petite woman up, returning a strong hug.

"Kuwabara! How could you just leave and not say anything!" Botan sniffled.

"...I'm sorry Botan. I just..." Kuwabara fumbled for an excuse.

"We just treat you different," Botan answered, her voice nasely from her tears, "I know Kuwabara, I know. We're overprotective, and we hover, and I'm sorry for it all. No one is meaning to make you feel any different or upset you. It's all just been so stressful...and I just know, well at least for me, I can't stand the thought of you going somewhere and disappearing!"

Kuwabara held the crying woman tighter, the guilt he was feeling hanging around his neck like a noose. A shudder ran through him as Botan managed to describe what he was experiencing. She was very good at nailing certain problems on the head. "I should have said something. I'll call Genkai and Yukina. I'll explain what I'm doing and apologize. I'm really sorry."

Botan only clung tighter and continued to cry.

Kuwabara glanced up and saw the ogres had finished arranging the furniture. They now stood awkwardly around looking unsure of what to do next. Kuwabara used his head to gesture for them to go, and after a few nervous bows, the demons left. Kuwabara, with both arms securely around Botan's waist, half carried and half dragged Botan to the couch, and then spilled in a heap with her on the long and slightly used furniture. The pair lay in silence for a while, Kuwabara absentmindedly stroking her hair and back.

"I know you don't mean to treat me differently. I know no one means to. Part of it's my fault too... I'm different now as well," Kuwabara finally spoke, "And I love you guys. Really. Sometimes how much you all worry and care bothers me. And I just thought... you know this is a good chance for me to prove that you guys don't have to worry. They can go back to normal, like how it all used to be. With just a few... minor adjustments."

Botan sniffed, and sat up, untangling herself from Kuwabara. The pair resettled on the couch without talking, both of them facing towards one another. Botan wiped her cheek and smiled wobbly at Kuwabara, who returned the grin. Kuwabara had matured over the years, his face getting stronger, and his body even taller. He'd gotten even bulkier over the years, and made for an imposing figure now, even if there was still something youthful about his crooked over-wide smile, and the way he fumbled with his words and hands. But Botan...she still looked like the day when he first met her. Young and vibrant, and like she still belonged in high school.

Briefly, he wondered if that was to be the norm. To watch his friends remain ageless while he slowly changed.

"You know...you better not show up here too often. People might think I'm doing something inappropriate with a student!"

Botan guffawed and let out a snorting laugh, "Really Kuwabara! No one would think that!"

Kuwabara pulled Botan's cheeks and snickered, "Yeah they would. You're too babyfaced!"

The pair laughed together, Botan smacking Kuwabara's hands away from her face. The laughter was half forced, and out of tune with one another, but there was promise in their mingling chuckles. Relationships could be mended, an effort just needed to be made.

"I'm sorry Kuwabara. I didn't mean to come over here ranting and raving, and then cry and snot all over your shirt. I'm just very worried! This is your first ever solo mission, and Yusuke doesn't even know!"

Kuwabara shrugged, settling into the couch. "I mean...Yeah, I know. But it's not like I can't tell him when they all get back."

"Will you tell him?" Botan asked seriously.

Kuwabara sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, I will. Just...tell Koenma to grow some balls and make sure Urameshi doesn't come back down here to drag me back!"

Botan giggled, "He won't do that-"

"Please! Urameshi is a real mother hen!" Kuwabara snorted rolling his eyes.

Botan giggled, "He won't drag you back. He just might camp out on the floor of your apartment, and refuse to leave."

Kuwabara snorted, "Oh that's much better!"

"Have the boys contacted you at all?" Botan asked, her voice soft.

"Not too much," Kuwabara admitted, "A letter here or there, though the letter is normally a minimum of ten pages! But their last one was six weeks ago. They're really busy tracking down that human trafficker. It sounds like a horrible case. They've been finding a trail of dead humans and demons, destroyed villages, and enemies waiting for them. They're having a hard time even figuring out if this is a case of human trafficking or just outright cruelty towards humans and demons who got along."

Botan frowned as she listened to Kuwabara talk, "What do you mean?"

"Kurama suspects this isn't even a case of human trafficking. He thinks this is a group of people trying to sabotage the efforts of demons and humans living together. This is a plot to make the relationship between demon and humans strained again," Kuwabara answered with a grim shake of his head.

"Some demons already live in the human world, and quite peacefully! I just don't understand why people would do this!" Botan despaired, throwing a hand angrily in the air with a huff.

"There's no explaining why people or demons make these terrible decisions. Kurama says it's just plain hatred and racism. Stupid emotions that are as old as dirt, and just as hard to sweep away!" Kuwabara voiced with clear disgust. He let out a sigh glancing over to Botan, "Irony of all Ironies...the group that is killing the humans and demons who can get along is most likely a group comprised of human and demons."

"Disgusting!" Botan spat, crossing her arms across her waist.

"Mmm. Kurama, Hiei, and Urameshi are so busy. I get why Koenma, you, and even my sister want me to wait for them... but whose to say they'll be back in a month? What they're working on is important, and if I mention what I'm doing, even if I phrase it as just moving to another town, I fear they might just drop everything and come find me. They need to stay focused on their mission," Kuwabara let out a sigh. Clear adoration for his friends was written on his face, as well as longing.

He wished he was with them.

"What grade are you going to be working with?" Botan asked, suddenly changing the subject. Seeing the longing pained look on Kuwabara was something she hated the most. Whether he realized it or not, the longing was cut deep into the eyes. Kuwabara longed to be back in the old days with his friends. She hated to admit it, but Kuwabara was right. He needed this time away to not just build himself up, but prove he could do things on his own.

"Ninth grade... makes me nostalgic," Kuwabara said with an easy grin.

"Do you know where?" Botan pressed.

"It's just a school around the corner...want to see?" Kuwabara offered.

"Yeah, let's go! We can grab some lunch, and I want you to fill me in on exactly everything you'll be doing while you're here," Botan bubbled, standing up quickly and taking his arm.

"You said you already found out everything from Koenma!" Kuwabara pointed out, easing himself off the couch with her help.

"But I want to hear it from you! I'm making sure I know everrrrrrything!" She explained stretching out the last word in dramatic fashion.

Kuwabara rolled his eyes, and opened the door for her, "Alright, alright. If we run into anyone you're my cousin, got it?"

She snorted and stuck her lower lip out in a pout, but did not argue.

Quietly Kuwabara shut the door and led Botan towards the streets of the Juuban district.

* * *

"I'm llllaaaaatttteeee!" Usagi screeched as she tore out of her house, yellow streams of hair flying behind her, and a rather distressed Luna tucked under her arm.

"Usagi! I can't believe you slept in!" Luna hissed, claws sinking into the fabric of the teen's jacket.

"Well, you should have woken me!" Usagi snapped, staring straight ahead as she raced down the street, "Besides! Why is Rei having a meeting on Saturday!? Saturday's are meant for sleeping in!"

Luna sighed and rolled her eyes, bracing herself for the turbulent ride sure to come. Usagi, while a great and amazing sailor senshi, as well as a sweet and compassionate girl, was incredibly flakey when it came to time. Luna could scarcely believe that this girl was going to be Queen one day. Glancing at Usagi, Luna felt the blossoming of her deep affection stir, and without being able to help it began to let out a deep rumbly purr. No matter how silly Usagi was, Luna couldn't deny how happy she was able to see the Princess living a full and happy life.

It was as she thought this that Usagi tripped and fell face first into the ground, Luna just barely managing to jump away and land gracefully on a fire hydrant just before the girl's fall. Luna sighed and shook her head as Usagi began to wail.

'Despite all her faults, I'm glad my princess is happy,' Luna thought with a sigh.

"Hey is that-" Usagi's tears suddenly stopped as she sat straight up and stared across the street. Luna turned to look behind her, seeing a familiar sight of a petite person with bright blue hair, "Fish-eye?"

"No, it can't be. You said yourself Usagi that the Pegasus came-" Luna tried to dismiss Usagi's claim, but the blonde didn't seem to be listening.

Instead, the girl got to her knees, and stared across the street, her blue eyes dancing. Without warning, Usagi sprinted across the street despite Luna's shocked cry. Usagi reached out as she neared the person with the bright blue ponytail. Catching the person in a hug Usagi cried out, "Fish-eye! It's you, isn't it?!" The person in Usagi's arm stiffened and pulled away so they could turn.

"Um...I'm sorry. I think you've mistaken me for someone else..." The girl suggested nervously.

Now that Usagi looked at the girl, it clearly wasn't Fish-eye. There were a lot of similarities but this girls' eyes were bright and pink, and her face was just a bit rounder. When the gravity of Usagi's mistake hit her, the girl blushed from head to toe, and then repeatedly began to bow, "Oh I'm so sorry! You looked like... like an old friend! I'm so sorry to just grab you like that!"

The blue haired girl laughed waving a hand at Usagi, "No it's alright! No harm done, you just startled me is all! My name is Botan!"

Usagi got back up and was about to give her name when she noticed a giant of a man standing behind Botan, watching the pair of girls with an amused look. He absolutely towered over the girls.

"Ah, a giraffe!" Usagi burst out, pointing at Kuwabara in fright and shock.

Botan looked behind her at the man who gave both of them a perplexed look. Botan then threw her head back and burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha a giraffe! Kuwabara, she called you a giraffe!"

"Well... it's better than being called a stupid ape!"

As Botan howled with laughter, the larger man seemed to accept Usagi's behavior, as if it was an almost typical occurrence. The man smiled from the blue-haired girl and locked eyes with Usagi, turning his smile to her. His eyes crinkled pleasantly as he grinned at her, and a warm feeling of nostalgia swept over the blonde, bleeding the tension from her shoulders.

"I'm Kazuma Kuwabara, my cousin and I are just exploring the town. I just moved here not too long ago for work," the giant man explained.

Remembering that she hadn't yet introduced herself, Usagi exclaimed, "My name is Usagi Tsukino! I am really sorry-for everything! I can get a bit carried away!"

"Really, no trouble at all!" Botan said wheezily, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I've never seen someone so tall! Are you an American?" Usagi asked with wide eyes.

Kuwabara laughed, "No, no, though my mother was from the United Kingdom."

Botan's eyes darted quickly to Kuwabara, and she managed to hang on to her burst of surprise. She hadn't known that bit of information, but then again she'd never questioned about Kuwabara's parentage. It just felt normal to see Shizuru and Kuwabara always together. A nagging thought in the back of her head asked a soft question that would bother her later on her way home.

Where were Kuwabara's parents?

"Wow!" Usagi exclaimed, leaning back to express her surprise. "I wish my Friend Mako was here! She's so tall, it would do her good seeing someone taller than her!"

"There's nothing wrong with being tall, my sister is my height, and when I was younger she was taller than me!" Kuwabara proclaimed, pulling out his wallet. With a sense of pride he showed a picture of his sister to Usagi, grinning as he showed the picture off.

"Wow she really is!" Usagi squealed, leaning in animatedly to look at the image.

"Is this your kitty?" Botan's voice asked.

Usagi glanced back to Botan, and saw that the girl was holding Luna in her arms, scratching her under her chin.

Grinning, Usagi burst, "Yes! That's Luna!"

Kuwabara immediately turned to see Luna and smiled, "Oh! What a good name for a cat! Her fur is like midnight!" He reached out a stroked Luna's cheek, the cat letting out the loudest purr Usagi had ever heard. Usagi had a feeling her purr was a result of his compliments to her fur color, and not commenting the crescent moon spot on her head. For some reason, Luna never liked Usagi calling it a crescent moon bald spot.

Botan handed Luna over, and Usagi was amused to see such a big man coo over a cat.

"Wow, you really like cats huh?" Usagi asked a giggle in her voice.

"Oh yeah," Kuwabara answered merrily cradling Luna in one arm, while he stroked Luna's ears and cheeks, "I love cats. I used to have a beautiful Calico..." His voice trailed off and his eyes flashed with pain. He didn't say any more on the matter, and Botan's hand went to his shoulder. Without saying further Usagi understood what had happened to Kuwabara's cat.

"Well... If I see you around again you can always pet Luna. And Maybe you can meet my friend Mina's cat!" Usagi chirped.

Kuwabara smiled, pressing his forehead to Luna's face, the cat eagerly nuzzling him in an over affectionate manner, "Oh I'd like that very much. Thank you miss Tsukino!"

"We better go Kuwabara!" Botan piped up, "It's almost one in the afternoon!"

Usagi's stomach dropped and her hands flew to her face, "Oh my God! I am SOOOOOO late! Rei will kill me!" Usagi cried sprinting past Kuwabara and Botan. Luna hesitated, but she leaped from Kuwabara's arms and began pursuit of Usagi. The blonde, however, didn't get too far, before stopping in her run and turning back to Kuwabara. She smiled radiantly and waved at the taller man, "I hope you do great at your job Mr. Kuwabara! You're really nice! Bye-bye!"

And with that said, she was off, dashing down the road and out of sight.

"Well, she has a lot of energy!" Botan giggled.

Kuwabara grinned, "She sure was. If my students are half as energetic as her, I'll have a good time!"

Botan hooked her arm through Kuwabara's and tugged gently as him, "Well come on, let's get that lunch! And I want to hear about your mother too!"

Kuwabara smiled, happy to oblige Botan's request. After meeting the highly spirited blonde, Kuwabara suddenly felt his despair and guilt fall away. He had a feeling he was really going to like this town.

* * *

End of chapter 2


	3. The TA

To answer the question on Dachi, yes I plan to pick it back up. Writing horror was very difficult, and the story required more research than I thought. Also at the time I had just started my new job and had two gallery shows, so I sort of overwhelmed myself. The story never meant to be abandoned, but it was hard to try and get back into it. I actually started this fanfic/the NaNoWriMo challenge to get back into the swing of things.

As of yesterday, this story is 50,000+ words. So I completed the challenge and feel much more confident in tackling Dachi again. After all this story is posted (which despite being 50,000 words, I'm still writing for) I plan to take a short break, and then resume Dachi.

So there are many chapters ahead, I hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

Rei had been furious.

Usagi had made Rei mad before, but this time Rei was **really** mad. No matter what Usagi had tried to sputter, there was no appeasing the soldier who commanded fire. Rei grabbed Usagi by her ear and screamed until she was practically purple in the face, leaving Usagi trembling in her wake. And then after all that, threw Usagi outside and locked her out of the shrine. She then informed Usagi that she would have to sit outside and listen through the shoji.

Usagi sulked quietly to herself mumbling about Rei and her stupid rules, and short temper. Though if Usagi admitted it, being three hours late to a meeting was bad, even for her. Luna had remained outside with Usagi, choosing to curl up on the girl's lap, rather than go and join the meeting. Usagi stroked Luna's fur and sighed, "Rei's realllll mad."

"Well, when she's calmed down a bit, properly apologize and learn from your mistake," Luna instructed in a matter-of-fact tone, "You've got to take these meeting more seriously Usagi! I don't know how many times we have to tell you this!"

"You really liked that Kuwabara guy today huh?" Usagi said, completely ignoring what Luna had just said.

Luna stiffened, and her fur stood on end.

"Wh-What?" The cat sputtered arching her body and jumping from Usagi's lap.

The blonde blinked at Luna's sudden reaction, before giggling, "Calm down Luna! There's nothing wrong with it! I just mean, you really liked being held by that guy we met, Mr. Kuwabara! I've never heard you purr so loud!"

Luna's licked her paw and began to wash her face and smoothe down her disturbed fur, trying to hide her embarrassment, "Well yes...I... I guess I did really like him."

Usagi smiled and titled her head clearly waiting for Luna to continue. Luna peered at Usagi's eager expression and sighed. Her tail twitched with irritability, and with hesitation, she continued to talk, "Well. I guess... my instincts took over for a moment. I suddenly felt... as if I was a kitten again. It was very strange, but I was very happy."

"Like running into an old friend?" Usagi offered.

Luna stopped tidying herself to share a very serious look with the girl, "Yes... yes it was. Did you... feel the same?"

Usagi pursed her lips seeming to try and think over Luna's question. After a moment Usagi answered, "There was something nostalgic about him. He was easy to relax around."

The pair fell into a spell of silence, both considering the comfortable feeling they had gotten around their new acquaintance.

"Maybe he's just got one of those really charismatic personalities!" Usagi finally announced, all smiles once again, "He was really tall and almost scary but the moment he talked you could tell he was a very nice person!"

"Perhaps," Luna mumbled. Frowning she turned a stern face to Usagi, "Please be careful around him next time. He may be nice and feel safe... but you never know."

Usagi reached out smoothing a thumb over Luna's forehead, "Don't worry Luna! Tokoyo is a big place! We probably won't run into him again! And if we do I'll be super careful!"

"Usagi!" Ami's soft voice interrupted the pair.

Both turned to look behind them to see Makoto and Amy standing behind the half-opened sliding doors. Ami and Makoto smiled at Usagi but gestured at the girl to keep quiet. Slipping outside, the pair of girls sat down next to the warrior of love and greeted her.

"Mina broke one of Rei's teapots, so she's getting chewed out right now!" Makoto explained grinning.

"We thought we'd explain what the meeting is about while she's distracted," Ami said, squeezing Usagi's hand. "You should try and be on time to these meetings..."

Usagi sighed and leaned heavily against Ami's shoulder, "Uggghhhh I knoooowww. My bed was just so comfortable. And I ran into this guy-"

"A guy?" Makoto interrupted, elbowing Usagi, "Don't you already have Mamoru!?"

"Oh no, no, no! This guy was old. Like in his twenties or something!" Usagi laughed waving Makoto's assumption away with a flick of her hand.

"Twenty isn't that old, Mamoru is eighteen!" Luna sighed, but her claim went unheard.

"It was just this nice older guy and his cousin. She was about our age. I thought..." Usagi twiddled her fingers together, and her shoulders drooped, "Well I really thought it was Fish-eye. And I was so happy to see him again I wound up hugging this girl by mistake. I really wanted... to thank him for his help after that last time..."

Makoto and Ami shared a look with each other. Usagi's empathy and compassion were one of Usagi's most charming features. Her good heart could draw anyone to her, but of course, there were times where her compassion could cause Usagi to get down. Usagi hated to be parted from anyone that she liked or was grateful to, even if she barely knew them. Both girls's pat Usagi's back, offering what comfort they could.

"Pegasus said he took them somewhere safe. I'm sure the Amazon Trio are doing fine," Makoto promised.

Usagi smiled and nodded, "Well... anyways I made myself even more late by getting distracted! But at least I got to meet two nice people out of it, and Luna really liked the man. You should have heard her purr!"

Luna's fur fluffed up again, and she let out a small irritated growl.

"Distractions aside, try to put an effort in showing up on time. Rei announced she sensed another evil presence," Amy claimed in a serious tone.

Usagi's head swiveled between the girls, and she looked at them with a golden brow arched, "Well...yeah. We're still fighting those people trying to take those dream mirrors!"

"No, no, no," Makoto sighed, "Another evil force, besides the monsters that have been showing up lately! Rei was meditating and she said she sensed something dark. She said it felt like a line of evil energy was looking for something."

"The mirrors? Pegasus?" Usagi asked as she worried her lower lip.

"Rei doesn't know what the power is after. She only sensed it while meditating. She's not sure if the power is even here yet, or if it's just approaching. And that's not all. Rei said just as she came out of her meditation she sensed another power. She said it felt like it was casting an energy over the city, like a net! She doesn't know if the second power is a threat either...she couldn't maintain a connection too long," Ami continued, pulling her small compact computer from her bag.

"You think you can trace the energies?" Luna asked taking a few steps towards the defender of Mercury.

Ami frowned and sighed, "Well I started to, and I could actually pick up on the second power Rei described. It was similar to her own, a strong psychic force. But as I tried to pinpoint the location," Ami held up her computer and opened the screen. The screen was black, and had a haze in the center of it, like a slight mist was on the screen, "my computer burned out. Pinpointing the power was too much for it..."

Luna frowned, and placed a paw on the computer, "Well Artemis and I can try to fix it, but if all else fails I'll make you another one. Two new energies..." Luna shook her head, worry dancing in her eyes, "Did Rei say anything else about the energies?"

"No, but she wants to do more meditating on the matter to see if she could learn anything about the new powers," Mako supplied.

"Could the second energy be good? Like a new scout?" Usagi asked placing her head on her folded hands.

"No... there shouldn't be," Luna dismissed, though she sounded unsure. "A line of evil energy... and a net-like energy surrounding the city..."

The small group fell into silence, all considering Rei's ominous announcement. A few minutes went by before Usagi abruptly stood up, "Well I'm going!" Her face was set sternly, and a serious look flashed in her blue eyes.

"Usagi?"

"Going where?"

Usagi's serious face broke into a grin, "I'm going to see Mamo-chan! Chibi-usa is with him today, and I can't have her hog him all to herself! Besides, if Rei won't let me do the meeting today, then there's no use sticking around! Bye!" And with that announced the girl raced off, her hair trailing yellow streams behind her.

Luna, Ami, and Makoto all sighed heavily.

"Ugh... that girl!" Luna sighed, "She doesn't take matters seriously enough!"

"I think she just prefers not to dwell," Ami suggested, smiling sweetly, "I really admire that side of Usagi."

"Our princess will always be charming, no matter how silly she is," Makoto agreed, smiling before glancing back at Rei's shrine. "We better get back inside and see if Mina's still standing!" Makoto suggested, sliding the shoji aside. Amy took one last look to where Usagi had run off too, and with a list little smile picked up Luna, and headed inside the shrine. Makoto followed after them, sliding the shoji shut behind her.

* * *

She was calling him.

That sing-song voice was whispering in his ear. His name over, and over again. The words were growing more and more muddled as the person spoke, and her voice seemed to climb higher and higher with each drawn out syllable.

"Kuwabara...Kuwabara...Kuwabara!"

He did not want to wake up and acknowledge the voice.

"Kuwabara! Kuwa-ku! Kuwabara! Kuuuuuwwwwaaaaa!"

Hie ears heart. The voice was too shrill. His throat was tight and dry. When was the last time he had water? Could he count backward and remember the days? If he opened his eyes he'd have to wake up. Wake up and face more pain. He didn't want that...

He felt like such a coward.

"Kuwabara!Kuwabara!Kuwabara!Kuwabara!Kuwbara!"

Something sharp dug into his leg, and his eyes snapped open.

"Please stop...Harumi...please," His voice was dry and rasping. He sounded so pathetic. Everything hurt, and the shame that washed over him caused tears to prickle in his eyes. He was so tired... A terrible child-like instinct flooded him and he wanted to go home. He just wanted to go home.

"There we are. Good, good, good, good, good! I need you nice and awake for the next part!"

A hand fell on his leg tracing his shin bone.

He closed his eyes.

The room was spinning. Spinning...spinning...

He was floating.

Or was he just slowly falling?

Kuwabara opened his eyes to see inky darkness all around him. He opened his mouth to speak, and only bubbles came out. He was sinking to the bottom of some endless sea. Kuwabara tried to look around himself, but he felt so sluggish. Tilting his head forward he could see a bright light, yards ahead of him, slowly growing dimmer as he fell deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Would he drown? Was this what he was doing now? Drowning?

Something disturbed the surface of the water and a shadow was speeding towards him.

It took shape, and soon Kuwabara recognized the desperate and angry face of his best friend, Yusuke Urameshi. Bubbles flooded out of his mouth as he appeared to be screaming as he swam down towards Kuwabara. His arm was outstretched as Yusuke was desperately swimming down and down. But Kuwabara was sinking away at a steady pace...Yusuke would not be able to close the distance.

He'll never make it.

"He'll never make it," A feminine voice rippled behind Kuwabara. Twisted arms with knives for fingers rose in a torrent behind Kuwabara. There was a dozen of the twisted black arms, all reaching slowly up and bending towards him. Kuwabara weakly glanced around at the long limbs. He looked back at Yusuke and felt a sharp pang twist inside him. He didn't want this to be the last time he ever saw Yusuke again. Why was it going to end like this?

"Close your eyes," the feminine voice whispered, as the arms suddenly were above him. They were arching towards him, and at any moment they would tear him to shreds. The fingers made of knives would dive into him, and Kuwabara would have to see Yusuke's face twist in agony at the sight. "Close your eyes," the voice goaded again.

It would be easier.

But Kuwabara could not look away from Yusuke.

The hands lunged, and the world exploded into white light, the feminine voice screaming as the world was cut away by an intense light.

Kuwabara lay choking and gasping on white sand. He was soaked to the bone, and shudders ran through him as gasped for breath. A set of woman's hands gently cradled his face. Her touch soothed his soul and made a wet sob rip from his chest. She shushed him comfortingly, whispering words he could not hear. When he calmed, Kuwabara looked up, teeth chattering from the cold water still soaked against his skin. He was sure there was a woman before him, and that she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

He could not make out her face.

"Wake up...wake up. Don't linger here," The voice was as warm and soothing as her touch. Her tone was deeper, and not the shrill woman's voice from earlier. The tone of her voice soothed his aching soul.

Kuwabara closed his eyes and looked away from the woman, a deep sadness beginning to swell all around him. His head was pulled into her lap, and a long arm draped around Kuwabara, his pain ebbing away like a memory. "Wake up...Wake up and remember."

"Remember."

* * *

Kuwabara woke up from his dream with a choked gasp. Sitting straight up in his bed, he began to cough as he tried to catch his breath. It was normal for him to suffer nightmares at night. He had been dealing with them now for months. What was not normal was the last part of his dream. A woman in white, with a face he knew, but could not see saved him.

No one ever saved him in his nightmares, no matter how hard they tried.

Rubbing his throat, Kuwabara shifted so that he was on the edge of his bed. His chest was heaving, and he was still shaking from the nightmare he had just suffered. HIs memories mixed with his fears and gave him hell at night. What he would give to fall into a more peaceful sleep at night. So even if it has just been for a moment...Kuwabara was grateful for that mysterious woman who had woken him up. He couldn't explain why his nightmare had changed, but he was grateful for the reprieve.

With the hammering in his chest, somewhat calmer, he glanced at his alarm clock.

It was just a little past four in the morning. Rubbing a hand over his face he sighed, "Guess I'll have an early day..." Easing himself up, Kuwabara limped towards his bathroom trying to place his dream out of his mind as he readied himself for his first day of school.

It was nice to be on the teaching end this time, rather than the receiving one.

* * *

The Principal of Juuban Municipal Junior High was a nice enough man, if not a little dull. Kuwabara had arrived to meet the man an hour before class started, as was requested to him. He spent a good chunk of that hour praising Kuwabara for choosing a teaching path and giving a rather long-winded speech about the pride he held in his school, and how he expected Kuwabara to help maintain that pride.

"No matter how long you are with us, Mr. Kuwabara, you must carry yourself with poise and respect. You are now a representative and model for these children who are our future! Never forget!" The principal droned, voice crisp and firm. He was leading Kuwabara through the halls of the middle school, pointing out various places Kuwabara needed to know about. Kuwabara nodded, "Yes sir."

The principal smiled, "Good, good. I should take you to meet the teacher who you will be assisting under. She's very excited to have you. She's quite a pretty woman, and single too, so remember! This is a school, not a place to fraternize."

Kuwabara felt his ears glow red, embarrassed from the principal's suggestion, "That won't be happening sir, I promise."

"See that you don't. And watch yourself. You've got the type of body that would draw a lot of attention from the teacher's here," The principal laughed, rounding the corner of the hallway.

Kuwabara had never felt so uncomfortable in his life.

At last, it seemed like they found their destination. The elderly man came to a stop in front of a plain blue door, and knocked upon it, briskly calling, "Miss Haruna! You in there?"

The door to a classroom opened, and a woman in a smart looking pink suit and with long brown hair that fell in waves was revealed She came just below Kuwabara's chest and comically whipped her head up to meet Kuwabara's eye, her mouth falling open.

"Haruna, this is Kazuma Kuwabara. He's the college student from near Mushiyori City. He'll be your Teacher's aide for the rest of this year," The principal explained, not seeming to notice Haruna's surprise.

The woman blinked and snapped her mouth closed with a click. Laughing nervously, she stepped back allowing the pair to enter the classroom.

The school was a little smaller and older than the one Kuwabara had attended, and to his own amusement, he had to duck slightly to enter the room.

Kuwabara introduced himself to the woman, who seemed rather flustered in Kuwabara's presence. Kuwabara hoped his height wasn't making her nervous. Flashing a sincere grin he said, "I hope that we can both get along, and I look forward to learning from under you."

Haruna flushed richly, and laughed, "I'm sure we'll get along great! The students are rambunctious, but all very good at heart. I'm sure you'll have no problems dealing with them."

"There is one thing I wanted to bring up," the Principal interjected, stroking his beard in a worried manner, "I noticed you have a limp. Is this a disability?"

Kuwabara tensed slightly, a bit uncomfortable to be asked about it. Haruna's eyes darted from Kuwabara, to his leg, and then to the principal. she too clearly a little uncomfortable about the question.

"I was in an accident a year ago, and my leg hurts often. I shouldn't need any accommodations, though I limp on and off, and can be a bit slower when it comes to stairs, it really isn't a hindrance," Kuwabara answered sitting up straighter. Inwardly, he was reminding himself to take slow breaths, and keep a pleasant nonchalant tone. He kept his hands flat on his upper thighs, resisting the urge to squeeze his left knee self-consciously.

"Hmmm," the principal grunted, nodding once, "I might suggest you let the class know about your leg. The students might see your limp as some sort of weakness to exploit, but if you talk to them about it like young adults, they will respect you for it."

"Yes sir, I'll take your suggestion to heart sir," Kuwabara answered. While a little uncomfortable with the suggestion, Kuwabara had to admit it was probably in his best interest to address his leg. No use trying to hide something that was in plain sight. Especially with teenagers.

"Good, good!" The principal said with a merry smile, "I'll leave you two to get acquainted, have a good first day Mr. Kuwabara!"

As soon as he was gone, with the door shut behind him, Haruna snorted, "What a busybody! I'm sorry if he came off as a rude, he can be very nosy!"

Kuwabara smiled, "It's alright. I might as well address the kids when they get here. No use hiding something they'll all see with their own eyes."

Haruna nodded, "Kids can be real little assholes sometimes, so it's best to just get it out! But don't do it if it makes you uncomfortable."

Kuwabara blinked in surprise at Haruna's language and then immediately burst into laughter. Grinning at the teacher he would be working under for the next several months he nodded, "Thank you Miss Haruna. I'll think seriously about what to say when I'm introduced to everyone."

Haruna smiled at Kuwabara, before gently guiding him to a desk that had been placed in the corner for him. It was small, but not as small as a student's desk. Still, Kuwabara imagined he'd look a little funny sitting behind it.

"I'm sorry for the awkward placement of your desk, but the classroom is a bit small. There's a nice desk in the teacher's offices waiting for you," Haruna said with an apologetic tone. Smiling she checked her wristwatch, and then chirped, "Students should be here in a little bit. I say just settle down for a little while, get comfortable. When they are all here I'll announce you and let you introduce yourself!"

"Right, thank you," Kuwabara said taking a seat and inspecting his desk while he waited.

Kuwabara didn't have a long wait before the very first student arrived. The students trickled in, all chatting and laughing with one another, some unaware of his presence, while others stared openly at him. Seeing their happy faces, or even the miserable faces, reminded him of the days of his youth. If he thought about it now he could see his friends now, Okubo, Sawamura, and Kirishima. Their laughing faces and mussed uniforms brought a warmth to his heart, even to this day. And if he remembered further he could see Yusuke.

His smile, his cheeky expression, and even his perfectly slicked back hair. Kuwabara would have given anything in those days to pound him into the pavement! Now, with Yusuke gone off on a dangerous mission with Kurama and Hiei, he honestly wanted nothing more to catch Yusuke in a hug. Hold him tight, and reassure himself that Yusuke was safe and still there.

Embarrassed by his own thoughts Kuwabara looked down at his hands, clearing his mind and letting out an anxious breath.

The last bell rang, and Miss Haruna stood before the class, "As you can tell, we have someone new with us today. He's traveled from far away to complete his college education, and will be this classroom's new T.A. I'll let him introduce himself, so please give him a warm welcome."

The students were still chattering until Kuwabara stood up. Audible gasps echoed around the room as Kuwabara rose to his full height. He walked to the front of the room, casually leaning against the desk, and smiled at the sea of faces in front of him, "Hello class. My name is Kazuma Kuwabara. I'm twenty-six years old, and I used to be the biggest punk at my school. Now I'm probably the tallest would-be teacher in the world!"

A few giggles broke out in the classroom amongst the girls, and some of the young men were even smiling. Kuwabara felt the anxiety in his stomach ebb away at the class' reaction, "I'm not sure too much what to say, except that I look forward to getting to know all of you. Hopefully, your hazing isn't too bad, because I may be big, but I'm delicate."

More students were laughing, and even Miss Haruna was having a good chuckle.

Pushing himself away from the desk Kuwabara continued, "I'm going to admit now, I have a bad leg, so you may see me limping around, but don't worry I'm okay. And you pranksters out there, don't think you can get away with messing with me. Even with my limp, if you run, I will catch you. But don't make me run, as I already said, I'm delicate!" He placed a hand on his chest, and raised his chin, twisting his face animatedly.

The students were all smiling, and some laughing now. They clapped, and greeted Kuwabara by name, welcoming the young man to their school. Kuwabara grinned, feeling successful as all the students smiled and visibly relaxed. It seemed he was off to a good start.

As Kuwabara moved to allow Miss Haruna back to the front of the room, the classroom door burst open. Kuwabara tensed and felt his energy cackle over his fingers as he readied himself for some sort of attack. There was a loud crash, and then Kuwabara was looking down at a girl with blonde hair tied in two buns, with long streams trailing down her back. She groaned as she sat up, all eyes on her. Cracking open an eye she spotted Kuwabara, and with great enthusiasm pointed at him before crying, "It's the giraffe!"

The students howled with laughter.

"Usagi!" Miss Haruna shouted, her tone scalding. A dry eraser came flying over Kuwabara's shoulder and collided with Usagi's forehead, the girl crying out in pain and protest.

"Aaiiiee! Miss Haruna that really hurts!"

"How can you just go around calling someone a mean name! And on top of that, you're already late!"

"I wasn't being mean!"

"You're going to stand out in the hall, and write an essay!"

"Ah, Miss Haruna!"

Kuwabara's lips trembled, and with a snort, he burst into loud amused laughter. He was suddenly overjoyed to think he'd be in the same class as the highly spirited girl he had met the other day. As he continued to laugh, having to turn away from the scene of Haruna scolding and yelling at Usagi, Kuwabara felt as if this was all a sign for better days ahead. He had nothing to worry about in town with such friendly easy-going people.

He would learn later, he was only half right.

* * *

Shoji- Traditional Japanese sliding doors.

As a heads up I feel like chapter 4 is where things get really exciting. I hope the three previous chapters are still enjoyable, but they are a lot of story set up. I would love some reviews to let me know if you're enjoying it so far. :


	4. Danger falls From the Sky

Kuwabara was finally sitting down to eat. It had been a long and interesting day...

He'd gotten to watch, the bubbly girl he'd met the other day, laugh, cry, sleep, and stumble her way through the first half of the day. She seemed to be a poor student, with bad focus, and a carefree spirit. He absolutely adored her. When he was her age he had felt all the girls were leagues ahead of them. They never struggled or acted anything other than perfect.

Watching Usagi flounder through the day made Kuwabara feel...comforted. It was nice to see a girl struggle as much as he had when he was her age.

Despite the fun he was having, it was still work, and his first day was busy. The other teachers all seemed to want to meet him. The woman were especially helpful and were constantly checking on him. The men were patting his back, or slapping him on the chest and admiring his physical physique. They all wanted to know if he worked out, or if he knew a martial arts, and what sort of things he ate, and even if he could teach them to bulk up. The fact that he limped had also gotten around the staff, and people were doing their best to not bring it up or were asking him about it. Kuwabara had a hunch the Principal was to blame.

Now it was lunch time, and Kuwabara had finally managed to sneak away to enjoy the bento he had prepared for himself this morning. He'd found himself a nice place outside, under a shaded tree. As a student, he'd never been allowed to eat outside unless he was sneaking it, and now the he was a teacher, he could go anywhere he wanted to eat. There was something deeply satisfying about being allowed to do as he pleased now.

He'd just shoved a large amount of egg, daikon, and rice in his mouth, when he heard a few whispering voices.

"...Yes, there he is!"

"He's eating! Perhaps we should come back later."

"No, no, no! Mako-chan you've got to meet him! He's taller than you! You gotta see up close!"

"Usagi..."

Kuwabara swallowed his mouthful and peeked behind him, seeing Usagi tugging her two friends near him. They were her classmates Ami Mizuno, the brightest girl in school, and Makoto Kino, the strongest girl in school. He waved at the girls, which made Usagi smile wide and tug at her friends harder. The pair of girls helplessly allowed Usagi to pull them along, and soon were standing before Kuwabara.

"Mr. Kuwabara! It's really cool to see you again!" Usagi chirped proudly.

"It's good to see you too Usagi! I had no idea I had run into one of my future students," Kuwabara laughed easily. He gestured to his seated position, "Would you girls like to sit with me while I eat?"

Usagi immediately sat down, looking back up at her friends with big grins. Ami and Makoto shrugged helplessly, and they too settled down on the grass. Kuwabara suppressed a chuckle, amused to see that Usagi seemed to be the ringleader of her little, "gang" of friends.

"This is Mako-chan!" Usagi said, hooking her arms around one of Makoto's arms, and tugging her close, "See? She's so tall!"

Makoto sighed, and Kuwabara caught the frown on her face. Kuwabara didn't understand why, but not all girls seemed to like their height.

"My sister is very tall too. Though I think you're much more graceful looking than she ever was," Kuwabara said politely smiling towards Makoto who blushed from the comment.

"I kind of hate it... I wish I was a little shorter so boys wouldn't seem so intimidated by me. Even girls sometimes seem to hesitate to come up to me. If I was shorter I would be more approachable," Makoto mumbled, surprised a little by her own honesty.

"You're as tall and as pretty as a model, so the girls are probably jealous. The boys should know better. If the height of a woman bothers them, then they are not men. A woman's height does not detract from her beauty or her self-worth, it only adds. You're young, and maybe this will not sound so comforting now, but things will be a little easier when you're older. When you're older, it will occur to these, "boys," that your height is something to be admired, not looked down on," Kuwabara said firmly.

Makoto smiled, a flush coloring her cheeks. She felt rather flattered by Kuwabara's kind words and even put at ease. She was still surprised that she had said something so honest to someone that she'd just met. But she had felt so relaxed around Kuwabara, her words had just spilled out.

"Besides, I would be much more intimidated by your martial art skills! The gym teacher, Mr. Harashi was telling me how good you were!" Kuwabara said with a lopsided grin.

"Yeah! Mako-chan can cut a brick in half with her hand!" Usagi burst, and then demonstrated by striking her hand through the air in demonstration.

Kuwabara smiled and then reached out, tilting Usagi's hand with his own, "You don't want to strike that way, you'd hurt yourself. You'd want to come down this way."

"Oh, so you **have** studied martial arts?" Ami piped up, jolting a little when Kuwabara looked at her.

Kuwabara threw a hand behind his head, and laughed, "Kinda? I'm not classically trained... not really. But I had some friends teach me a few things. And when I was about your age, I did also get trained a bit by a master. She really trained my friend, but I learned a few things from her."

"You must have done some fighting though! Your muscles are as big as my head!" Usagi pointed out.

Kuwabara chuckled, "I've always been tall and big, to be honest. But I do try to keep myself in good shape. When I was younger I did much crazier training routines. Now I tend to box on my downtime, or even do yoga." At the girl's gawking faces, Kuwabara laughed and explained, "Yoga's good for you."

The girls all seemed impressed, and Usagi smiled smugly. Clearly proud she had made her friends come over and visit with Kuwabara. As Kuwabara ate, the group talked about all sorts of things, falling into easy conversation. It was a rather enjoyable way to spend lunch. No one pried for too much information, the group just talked. Eventually, Kuwabara finished his food, and after checking his watch suggested, "We better get going. Lunch is over."

The girls rose easy, but Kuwabara did not. He tried to rise and winced as his left leg shook, seeming to be unable to bear his weight. Sighing, he rolled onto his knees, and braced a hand on the tree, before managing to jump up. He swayed a bit, but Makoto caught his arm and steadied him. All three girls looked very concerned, and an awkward moment filled the air.

Kuwabara smiled, and pat the top of Makoto's head. He was almost a full head taller than her, "You're not too tall at all Makoto. You look like you could be my cute kid sister!"

The girls laughed, and Kuwabara joined them, the uneasy moment passing as they turned back towards the school.

* * *

When the day was out, many students had crowded around his desk. They were all still curious about the young teacher's assistant, and it seemed no amount of answers would satisfy them. Kuwabara laughed and managed to shoo most of them away with promises to meet them tomorrow. Scooping some papers up in his satchel, he made plans to stop by a noodle shop, and then go home and grade the quizzes Haruna had given him.

"Mr. Kuwabara!" Usagi called, standing in front of him.

"Ah hello Usagi, glad to be out for the day?"

She grinned and nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! But, I wanted to see if you would come with me and the girls to an arcade! You're new here so you need to know the best places to hang out!"

"I don't know if I should Usagi," Kuwabara answered truthfully, "I'm not sure if I should hang out too much with my students. And besides, aren't I just an old man? I'll cramp your style!"

"Using phrases like that will really make you old!" Usagi guffawed. She then waved a hand as if she could bat Kuwabara's fears away, "You should come! You can meet my other friends and my boyfriend, and there are games and food... really good food! The shakes are really good too!" Usagi leaned in, her eyes flashing as she went in for the kill, "Luna will be there. As well as my friend Mina's cat, and my little cousin's kitten Diana."

The tips of Kuwabara's ears got red, and his face looked very serious. He cleared his throat mumbling, "Well... I do love arcades..."

Usagi squealed delighted and tugged at Kuwabara, before looking back towards the door frame where Makoto and Ami were watching. "He said he'll come!" she cried, the other two blushing with embarrassment, and flashing her the thumbs up. As Kuwabara gathered his items, he wondered if Usagi normally roped people into following her with her upbeat personality.

After he gathered his things, he was quickly seized by his bag's strap and dragged outside. Kuwabara was soon led down the streets of Tokyo, the girls giving Kuwabara very rough directions and explanations about everything. He didn't think he'd actually retain any of the information they gave him, but he appreciated their efforts.

"And here it is!" Usagi cried swooping her arm in front of her as she came to a stop in front of a small building, "The Game Center Crown! Best arcade anywhere! Motoki works here, and his milkshakes are amazing!" the girl practically drooled as she explained the glory of the arcade. "He's also super cute to boot!"

Kuwabara snorted, "Didn't you mention, that you have a boyfriend?"

Usagi blushed and turned up her nose, "I do and he's the best, but I can still say Motoki's cute!"

Kuwabara chuckled before turning back to the little shop, instinctively comparing it to the large flashy ones from home. This one was a decent size, but with a simple blue and yellow sign, and clear glass windows. It was maybe half the size of the arcade he and his friends had visited, and far too clean. He smiled however not one to judge, "Can't wait to see the games you guys have!"

"Mrrooow!" A cat's voice called, catching the attention of the entire group.

Luna had appeared, and rather than go to Usagi, or Ami, had instead gone straight to Kuwabara. Her tail swished, and her her pupils were wide a dilated as she seemed delighted to see Kuwabara. The man smiled and kneeled down to pick up the cat, whom he pet with great enthusiasm. "Ah, the pretty midnight kitty! Luna right?" Luna responded with a loud purr, and a bright cheerful chirp.

Usagi nodded, a big grin on her face as she looked slyly at the girls. Ami and Makoto seemed to be surprised and amused by Luna's actions. Neither of them had ever seen the normally serious Luna behave so spryly before.

Kuwabara was still showering Luna with lots of attention when a girl with pink hair came charging out of the arcade.

"Usagi!" The girl chirped, her voice stern. Her round face was set in a pout, and she looked ready to start scolding the blonde when her eyes locked on to Kuwabara. Immediately, her mouth fell open, and she took a step closer to the door as she stared up at Kuwabara.

"Chibi-Usa this is a new teacher at my school. His name's Kuwabara," Usagi giggled, casually introducing Kuwabara to the little girl.

Chibi-Usa glanced at Usagi, and then back to Kuwabara. It didn't look like she could bring herself to say anything.

Kuwabara smiled as he sensed Chibi-usa's anxiety. He bowed deeply to the little girl, bringing his body as low as possible, "Well hello little Princess...I'm sorry did I surprise you? I hear from Usagi that I'm as tall as a giraffe."

Chibi-Usa smiled, relaxing a little as Kuwabara greeted her. She then sighed, "Did she call you that? I'm sorry Usagi has no manners."

"Hey!" Usagi protested, glaring daggers at the little girl, "I'm not the one standing still as a statue!"

Chibi-Usa glared briefly at Usagi, and then slowly released the door before taking a step forward, her head tilting up, and up as Kuwabara got back to his full height. She then curtsied before properly saying, "How do you do? I'm Chibi-Usa and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Kuwabara smiled wide, completely taken by the little girl's manners. "You're very polite. Just like a little princess! Well, little princess, I am a student teacher at Usagi's school. My name is Kazuma Kuwabara, and it's a pleasure to meet you too!"

Diana, who had been settled on Chibi-Usa's head, suddenly leaped aiming to land on some part of Kuwabara. Luckily, Kuwabara reached out and caught the kitten who had misjudged the distance. Now, holding both Luna and Diana, the big man grinned, "I could just die happy now! I've got two cats!"

All the girls laughed, and Chibi-Usa tugged on Kuwabara's pant leg, "If Diana likes you, you must be a good guy! I've never seen her get so excited! Come inside! Then you can meet Mina's cat, and hold three!"

Kuwabara was ushered in, the little girl taking charge in leading Kuwabara inside and towards the back. In the back of the arcade at a large booth sat three more people, two girls and a young man. They all turned surprised at the odd procession that Chibi-Usa was leading.

"What in the world?" Minako whispered, before watching in surprise as Artemis meowed at Kuwabara like he was an old friend. Rather abruptly, Artemis lept from Minako's shoulder and hurriedly walked to the tall copper-haired man. And then, with an impatience Minako had never seen from Artemis, scaled said man as if he was a scratching post, climbing all the way to the man's shoulder before pressing his face to Kuwabara's cheek and letting out a deep rumbling purr.

"What a sweet boy," The man said grinning delightedly.

"Rei! Mina! Mamo-chan!" Usagi greeting her remaining friends, "This is my new teacher! Mr. Kuwabara."

"Just a Teacher's aide actually. It's very nice to meet all of you," Kuwabara said politely, only able to dip his head in greeting. Artemis eventually slipped down into Kuwabara's arms, joining the cat cuddle party in Kuwabara's arms.

"I've never seen Artemis act that way!" Minako snorted, eyes dancing with amusement.

The group of people was all slowly introduced, pleasantries being exchanged easily. Rei was the only one of the group who did not join in on the eager conversation, but instead watched Kuwabara with a keen eye. Kuwabara was shown all sorts of games and introduced to the Sailor-V games with Mina and Usagi gushing about the lore. Kuwabara wowed the girls with his skills at the Paper-rock-scissors game, as well as his skill with the crane machines. He came away with about 12 stuffed animals, gifting a large flying horse to Chibi-Usa.

"It's a pegasus!" She explained when he commented on the doll.

The cats hung around Kuwabara, sticking close to his feet, when Kuwabara eventually set them down.

After the arcade had been fully explored, Kuwabara was sitting in the booth, eating a burger and fries from the arcade. He and Mamoru were talking about school and college, with Kuwabara praising Mamoru for being such a good student.

"You'll have a much easier time at school then I did! I was a poor student and it was a real struggle for me to get through," Kuwabara lamented.

"But you've made it now, so all that hard work has paid off," Mamoru pointed out.

"Almost made it. I'm not going to get too excited now, or I might trip at the finish line!" Kuwabara joked.

As Mamoru and Kuwabara continued to talk, Rei had managed to corral the rest of the girls before whispering, "Does he not seem suspicious to you?"

The girls looked at Rei, before glancing at Kuwabara. Kuwabara was laughing, his orange curls sweeping the high cheekbones of his face. He had gotten mustard on his collar, and somehow on the tip of his nose. His new cat friends were also sitting as close as they could to the man, purring quite contently.

"No," Usagi answered bluntly, "Not at all. Why? Are you suspicious of him?"

"Do you sense something?" Makoto asked more seriously, interrupting Usagi before she could go on.

"For a moment I felt... a wave of..." Rei took in a deep breath, "Something. Power? It's not... it didn't seem threatening but... there's something off about what I felt. It was there a moment, and gone in the next." The priestess was frowning in frustration as she glanced over at the tall man.

"Maybe you need to talk to him," Ami suggested, "Invite him to the shrine, we can all be there. Maybe at your shrine you can get a better read on him."

Rei nodded, still frowning deeply, "Yes... maybe I will do that. I don't know what it is... but there's more than meets the eye about this Mr. Kuwabara."

Her ominous tone had the girls sharing nervous looks, before turning back to Kuwabara. He was leaned down letting Chibi-Usa wipe the mustard from his face. He was smiling so sincerely at Chibi-Usa that Usagi was suddenly angry.

"I don't think Mr. Kuwabara's bad at all," Usagi said her tone unexpectedly sharp.

Rei seemed surprised by Usagi's words but regarded Usagi with a serious expression, "Usagi..."

"I really don't think someone who could make everyone smile, or Luna happy, and smile so sincerely is bad. I'm sorry I just don't believe it," Usagi said strongly, despite the flush entering her cheeks. She was embarrassed to disagree so strongly over something, especially such a serious matter. Rei's feelings were never to be taken lightly, Usagi knew that, but there was something else that told her she could trust Kuwabara. And she just couldn't... stand the thought of ever having to be suspicious of the man.

Rei reached out and placed a gentle hand on Usagi's arm, "I'm not trying to upset you, but I did sense something." Rei smiled gently at her friend, "For everyone's safety we just need to be cautious. But you normally have a great instinct when it comes to people Usagi... I'll take your feelings seriously too. Understand, that I'm only worried because your safety comes first."

Usagi's eyes flooded with tears, and she sniffed as she threw her arms around Rei, giving the priestess a tight hug, "I'm sorry I missed your meeting last Saturday Rei!"

Rei sighed, but smiled as she returned Usagi's hug, "Yeah, yeah... try to do better next time okay?"

"Excuse me girls," Kuwabara called from the booth, "I've got to go! I still have to grade papers! Thank you for showing me around today, I had a lot of fun. I'll see you tomorrow!"

The girls waved good-bye, Rei even joining in half-heartedly. Kuwabara waved one last time, before exiting, limping away from the building.

After he had gone, Chibi-Usa ran up to Usagi, excitedly holding a large stuffed rabbit for her, "Mr. Kuwabara said we could have most of the prizes. He only took one! Isn't he nice?"

Usagi smiled and accepted the rabbit. She tucked the toy under her arm, before pulling Chibi-Usa gently to her, and giving her a hug, "Yeah he's very nice."

"Which prize did he keep?" Minkao asked as she approached the table where a pile of stuffed animals sat at one side. Minako picked up a stuffed cat, "I'm surprised he left the cat!"

"He took a blue penguin," Mamoru answered as he reached out taking Usagi's hand, tugging her towards the booth, "He said it reminded him of a friend."

"A blue Penguin?" Usagi giggled, eagerly draping herself next to her boyfriend, "That's a funny choice."

"You cats doing alright?" Makoto asked as she turned her attention to Luna, Artemis, and Diana, "You three went gaga over Mr. Kuwabara."

"He smells yummy, and feels nice," Diana explained simply, cuddling into her mother.

Luna sighed, "I don't know why but I felt years younger when I saw him."

"Ugh, it was like being under a trance!" Artemis admitted. HIs fur was fluffed up now that Kuwabara had left, clearly embarrassed over his display.

"The way you all acted, you'd think he was the walking embodiment of catnip!" Minako teased, poking Artemis' nose.

"Maybe that's what you're sensing," Usagi whispered to Rei with a giggle, her eyes twinkled mischievously as she continued, "You sensed an all mighty cat person!"

Rei's lips trembled as she suppressed a smile, "Luna, Artemis, and Diana reacting like they did, is proof that there's something fishy about him!"

"You mean he smells like fish?" Ami asked innocently.

All eyes turned to the genius of the group, before everyone burst out into loud laughter, all commending the normally quiet Ami for her joke.

"That's what it is!" Minako agreed, "He's a walking living fish, in human skin!"

"I didn't mean it that way," Ami protested, covering her mouth as giggles escaped her.

The group looked ready for further conversation, but screams interrupted their merry group. All heads snapped up, and the group could see people fleeing from something just outside their field of vision. The group all glanced at each other before Makoto gestured towards the side exit of the arcade. "We can transform out there, let's get going," Makoto whispered, heading quickly for the door.

As the girls and Mamoru raced outside to face whatever dangers lay outside, the discussion of the mysterious Kuwabara was dropped and forgotten, at least for the time being.

Real dangers were outside, the question of what dangers could be coming could wait.

* * *

Genkai folded her legs underneath herself and grimaced as her old bones creaked. She used the coffee table she was sitting by to help ease herself down, cursing softly as her hip popped painfully. Her aches and pains were getting worse now, but that was old age for you. She'd just gotten off the phone with Shizuru, and now wanted to sit quietly and mull over some thoughts.

Kuwabara, a bright and gentle boy, had left without hardly saying a word. Moved away, as if he could expect to be forgotten about for the six months to the year he would be gone. She sighed, folding her hands beneath her chin. Kuwabara had been struggling ever since that encounter with the demoness, Harumi. It was completely understandable for Kuwabara to be having a hard time, but it sent a pang down her heart to think he had left town because he couldn't face everyone's sympathy and guilt anymore.

Botan had come by after her visit to his new place and said he was doing fine, and that he would call. And to Kuwabara's credit, he did actually call the next day and apologized for not saying goodbye, promising to be back soon at least for a visit. He'd explained to her that he was student teaching and that his College Professor had suggested some school in Tokyo. After the phone call, Genkai had felt uneasy, as if something wasn't being said. Now in the silence of her home, she wondered if she should be pressing Kuwabara for an answer. But then again, Kuwabara hadn't been the only one who seemed to be holding back.

"Botan seemed...nervous," Genkai remarked to herself. She shifted in her place, pressing a palm flat on the table, "I could get it out of her...She doesn't need much twisting."

"Genkai, I've made some tea!" Yukina's voice called from the kitchen, "Do you want a late dinner?"

Genkai looked over at the clock, checking the time. It was around seven in the evening. "My, my... the day just flew away. Dinner would be nice Yukina. But if you like we could go out and get something, no use for you cooking this late!"

Yukina materialized with a tray in hand. A small teapot and two stoneware cups were balanced on the tray. The snow maiden smiled, "I don't mind cooking for us. But if we go out, we could invite Shizuru. I doubt she'd eaten yet."

Genkai smiled, "You're right, Shizuru most likely has forgotten. I'll give her a call,"

"I'll do it," Yukina piped up, hopping up faster than Genkai could. The older woman chuckled watching Yukina dash off towards the kitchen, headed for the phone.

Genkai was not sure if Yukina had realized it, but there was love blossoming in Yukina's heart. Genkai was certain, Yukina was developing feelings for Kuwabara's older sister. Genkai doubted Yukina understood the depth of her emotions, and the old psychic would not rush the girl for all the money in the world. Love was like a flower, and its petals should bloom slowly so that the full beauty of it could be appreciated.

Thinking of Yukina led her back to more thoughts of Kuwabara. Just before the incident with Harumi, Kuwabara and Yukina had gone off somewhere, a date she assumed. But things were awkward when the pair left. When they returned, however, they were laughing and smiling. Kuwabara embraced Yukina before he left, but it was not an embrace of love. It was as if he was letting her go, and offering comfort. Yukina never explained fully what happened on the date, just that the pair had a chance to talk.

"I'm very lucky to have Kazuma as my friend," Yukina had said, her eyes shining, "He understands so much, especially about me. He knows more than I can, and is patient to help me understand. I am so grateful."

Genkai had not known what that conversation meant, but now as she watched Yukina stumble around Shizuru, she felt she finally understood.

'Did you know too Kuwabara? That Yukina's heart was beginning to beat for another?' Genkai mused a little sadly. Kuwabara had a heart of gold... it wouldn't surprise her if he'd set his feelings aside in order to give someone else happiness. He was brave and gentle like that...

"Genkai! There's a meteor shower!" Yukina called from the kitchen, "If we hurry to the porch we can watch it!"

Genkai smiled lifting herself from her seat, "Well now, a meteor shower shouldn't be missed... let me go get Puu."

Genkai made her way to the back room, her bedroom, and called for Puu. The Spirit beast had been keeping her company since Yusuke had left for the mission. After calling his name for the third time, Puu appeared lazily hovering from the corner of the room. He blinked sleepily at her, and Genkai held her arms out for the miniature phoenix, who came and nestled in her arms.

"Lazy thing..." Genkai sighed, smiling affectionately at the odd creature.

With Puu in her arms, she joined Yukina outside and both looked up into the black sky. Streams of light were falling in shades of pale blue and white. Yukina gasped enjoying the beauty of the falling stars, Genkai quietly echoing small exclaims behind her. It was a beautiful sight.

An exceptionally large meteor began to fall, and Genkai looked at it suddenly unsettled.

"That... that one's close..." Yukina murmured her voice halting and tinged with anxiety.

In a trance the pair watched at the bright light arched in the sky, falling, falling, falling towards the forest that surrounded Genkais shrined.

The large meteor had been a pale blue, but as it approached it shifted into white, red, gold... and thank a strange black.

At the point it turned black, Genkai gave out a strangled gasp and placed her hand on her heart.

"Genkai!" Yukina cried catching the old woman as she began to double over. Puu's eyes were now wide and alert, and his body glowed with power.

"Something is coming!" Genkai rasped, as Puu exploded into his full phoenix form before them. He let out a cry that turned into a low growl, as he took bold steps in front of the two woman, fluffing up his wings in protection.

"A great evil..." Genkai rasped her skin feeling like it was on fire as a power exploded from all around. It was a strong force of power, stronger perhaps even than an S-class demon. The power also dripped with a malice, like the fierce rage of an evil spirit. Genkai's eye wildly flew around as she tried to catch her breath, and explain the power emanating from everywhere at once.

The ground shook as the meteor suddenly crashed in the middle of Genkai's forest, and the old woman fell to her knees, Yukina falling with her as everything shook.

"There...it's the meteor..." Genkai gasped clinging to Yukina's arm, hard enough to make the woman bruise.

"Genkai..." Yukina sputtered, clearly frightened by Puu and Genkai's reactions.

"Go and call Botan! Koenma! We're in great danger! Quickly!" Genkai ordered shoving Yukina away as she got back up to her feet, "Do as I say!" Genkai snapped joining Puu as the phoenix growled head swiveling around in search of the threats. Yukina opened her mouth, as if to protest, but it snapped shut as she turned and ran back towards the shrine. Genkai began to channel her power to her hands, blue light cackling like lightning. She could not use her Spirit wave at full force, not since she had given most of her powers to Yusuke, but she could still channel a weaker version of it.

"A shield Puu... put up a shield," Genkai whispered as the blue bird continued to glance around, growling in a predatory like matter.

Instantly Puu's energy expanded outward in a protective force, and the two could only sit and wait as they waited for the source if the power to reveal itself.

They stood in silence for long minutes. Fire climbed the trees of Genkai's forest, slowly traveling from the direction of where the meteor had landed and outward. If it was left alone, a forest fire would be soon raging. Genkai felt her irritation climb as she spotted the flames, knowing the fire would draw attention. Human attention. Human's that would arrive here to help, and only get caught in the crossfire of the danger this energy brought.

"Dammit," Genkai murmured, dropping her hands, her Spirit wave dispersing. Striding forward to stand several feet in front of Puu, she formed several signs with her hands before pushing her palms forward towards the direction of the forest. Her eyes glowed with a blue light and she said a single word in an unknown language. Like a pulse, a stiff invisible energy expanded out from her hands sweeping leaves off the temple steps as it quickly swept towards the forest. In one great gust, Genkai's energy blew out the fire, pushing trees over in its great might.

With the fires out, Genkai had wasted a large majority of her spiritual energy.

"Damn," Genkai hissed, cursing her old age.

The sound of heavy footfalls against the earth caught Genkai's ears, and she took a step back. Setting her face in a grimace, she waited for whatever was to appear out of the darkness.

It was a man.

His skin was ashen, and his form hulking. He was cloaked in black and gray furs from a creature Genkai did not recognize. His hair was golden and hung in large shaggy waves, giving the man an animalistic look. His face was long, and cheekbones high, his lips were parted and coated in red blood. A tongue darted over them lapping away the red substance and revealing sharpened teeth. The man stopped, yards away from Genkai, staring at her with cold yellow eyes.

"Where is Epsilon?" the man spoke, his words soft.

"I don't know of who you speak," Genkai answered cautiously, Puu growling behind her.

"Do not lie... **to me** ," the man grated, his tone shifting from soft to threatening. He turned his head looking around the shrine and sniffed the air, "I can smell him. It is faint, but Epsilon has been here. Do not think you can hide him from me."

"I hide no one. Even if whoever you were looking for was here, how would I know what they look like? You barge into my territory, and demand for someone without even introducing yourself! Do you really think you can get any sort of answer, with that behavior?" Genkai snapped, glaring at the man.

The man responded by slamming his face into Puu's shield, the energy crackling from where he touched it. His nostrils flared, and he tilted his head before slowly smiling, "I am Lyrae. I am a ruler of four kingdoms, a ruler with great and mighty power who will conquer this planet without a moment's hesitation and in that same moment burn it to ashes. I am looking for my brother Epsilon... where have you hidden him away?!"

Genkai took in a deep steady breath, "We do not have anyone here by that name-"

In a swift movement, Lyrae brought both his hands up and tore the shield apart as if it was tissue paper. Puu gave out a startled cry as the effect seemed to cause him pain. Genkai backed up, falling into a fighting stance as the man, Lyrae approached.

"I smell him in the air. In your hovel. On the woman, hiding inside your hut. On that creature behind you. On you. His scent lingers here. If he is not here, then he **was** here, and you will tell me where he's gone, or I will make you suffer for it," Lyrae seethed, eyes flashing.

Genkai thrust her hands forward releasing a quick burst of energy, that sent Lyrae skidding back. Puu took to the air, and charged headlong into Lyrae who roared as the mighty bird collided with him. Though Lyrae was pushed back he wrapped his arms around Puu's neck, screaming as he pushed back against the massive bird.

Genkai watched tensely as Lyrae and Puu pushed against one another, the pair seemingly equally matched.

"I have not been imprisoned for millennia, planning my retribution to be defeated by you peasents!" Lyrae spat, eyes glowing back, with a thin rim of gold burning around the darkness.

Genkai was brought to her knees as the gravity around her intensified.

She cried out in shock struggling to resist against the sudden force pushing her down. Puu was also brought hard to the ground, his advantage in height stripped from him as he was grounded. Lyrae gripped Puu harder by the neck, and with a sheer force of power hauled the phoenix up in the air before smashing the bird hard back into the grown. With a final toss, he sent Puu crashing down the temple stairs, the stone steps cracking as Puu fell hard.

The blue spirit beast cried mournfully as the intensified gravity kept him down, blood trickling beneath his head. Lyrae trampled over Puu's tail feathers, and ground his foot in to his defeated enemy for good measure. Walking with a slow intese purpose, he approached Genkai and leered down at her. She met his gaze with a stubborn glare, grimacing as she tried to stand up and face him.

"I commend you, old woman... you're still able to kneel," Lyrae praised in a condecending tone, "But end your pride here. Tell me what I want to know, and I will spare your life."

"Do me a favor and shut up. I won't be intimdated so easily!" Genkai growled, challenging him with her eyes.

"What a pity... for you," Lyrae drew his foot back preparing to kick Genkai full on in the face. Genkai turned her face so that her teeth wouldn't shatter with the kick, and Puu screeched in protest, struggling to get up, but unable to.

As his leg drew back, a green whip snapped around Lyrae's ankle and pulled hard. The man was yanked off his feet, and he fell hard, before he was slammed into a tree. The gravitational force that had been keeping Genkai and Puu down instantly dissipated, and both were able to raise their heads and look towards their savior.

"What do we have here?" Kurama asked, green eyes narrowed, as he curled his rose whip back to him. Hiei was at his left, hand on his sword, and eyes focused on the downed enemy. A bag that belonged to Yusuke was at Kurama's feet, while Yusuke himself was cradeling Puu's head. Yusuke's hands glowed as he used his spirit wave to quickly heal his friend. Then with outraged eyes he turned to glare at Lyrae, his mouth cut in a snarl.

Yusuke's eyes darted to Genkai, and he barked, "You okay old lady?"

"More annoyed than hurt," Genkai promised getting back to her feet. She rolled her neck side to side in a quick motion, popping her bones audiably as she did so. She then leaped high in the air, landing in front of Puu and joinging her young saviors, "Good timing."

"Indeed. We completed our mission," Kurama said eyes darting over Lyrae's body.

"Yeah. I blew up the bastard," Yusuke snarled, "Looks like I'm going to have to do it again!"

Lyrae managed to get back to his feet, shaking leaves from his hair. He blinked rapidly, before looking at the group. His eyes ghosted over everyone's faces, before landing squarely on Yusuke's. An odd expression came to Lyrae's face, before his body radiated in black and gold energy. "You..." he whispered staring at Yusuke.

Lyrae unexpectedly laughed, a wild gleeful expression twisting over his mouth. "I can't believe it's you!"

Yusuke's face twisted in disgust, "Don't look so happy buddy. I don't know who the fuck you are, and I'm going to kick your ass for messing with my friends!"

Lyrae laughed, sounding delighted, "I am truely blessed... to get a second chance. Truly..." Lyrae pointed his finger at Yusuke, "This time...this time. I will kill you." The black and gold energy twisted violently around Lyrae, and with a crack like lightning, the energy disappeared taking Lyrae with it.

For a moment everyone stood in stunned silence, unable to move or comment on what had just happened. Yukina's voice broke them from their silence as she came running towards the group, shouting Genkai's name.

"I'm fine Yukina... and you?" Genkai assured the maiden, reaching out and taking Yukina's hands.

"Yes! I was knocked to the floor by a strong force, but I can more now! I managed to reach Botan... What happened?" Yukina sputtered, eyes looking everywhere for answers.

"Good, I hope Botan gets here soon. We need a direct line to Koenma, somehow we've gotten ourselves in a heaping pile of shit!" Genkai sighed, her voice heated.

Yusuke was still glaring at the spot where Lyrae had been, his mind a buzz with questions. Who had that been? How did they know him? And where the hell was he now? Growling, he hooked an arm around Genkai, and then one around Puu, "Let's get inside. I think we need to be caught up on all this mess."


	5. Too Tired to Sleep

Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei had wound up spending the night on Genkai's floor as they discussed the new threat. The whole night had been one big argument and debate. Who was that man? Where did he go? Why was he attacking? All questions were turned over, and over, only for no answers to be found. When Botan arrived, the poor grim reaper was also dragged into the mix, and the arguing increased.

It was around four in the morning when Genkai put her foot down and ordered everyone to sleep.

"We're upset, and wound up. This conversation is getting nowhere. Let's sleep. You three clearly need it!" Genkai shouted pointing an accusing finger at Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. "It's clear you haven't slept, maybe for days! And it's no wonder... you've been running around all of creation for months, trying to prevent a group of slavers from upsetting the balance of two words! We sleep **now**. Tomorrow we'll eat, and only after that will we try and figure this mess out again."

Yusuke opened his mouth to argue, but Genkai slapped her palm over his mouth and forced his head down on Puu's wing.

"Shut up brat and sleep! We'll discuss this tomorrow," Genkai ordered, before retiring to her own room before anyone could stop her.

Yusuke's nostrils flared, and he looked ready to explode, but after a moment he turned on his side swinging an arm around the large Phoenix's body. He grabbed Puu tight, nuzzling his face in Puu's feathers, he fluffed up with a pleased expression. Puu let out a soft chirring sound, before tucking his long neck around Yusuke and closing his eyes. It seemed both man and beast fell asleep instantly. Taking a cue from Yusuke, everyone else found spots in the room, and laid for sleep. They were all clearly anxious about what had just transpired.

Though the room was silent, and everyone did eventually drift off, the tension of the room was too high for anyone to get a real proper rest.

In the morning, Genkai woke early as she normally did. She did not feel any better awake, then she had when she'd gone to sleep. She sighed as she slowly got up, and began to get dressed. Today was not looking to be any easier than the one before. Once dressed, she checked on the group of people piled in her living room, counting the bodies to assure they were all there. Hiei in the far corner, Botan and Yukina on the couch, Kurama next to the coffee table... and Yusuke...?

"Dammit, where is that boy" She muttered as she saw Puu, now back in his smaller form, sleeping alone on a pillow.

She turned for the kitchen, and as she entered, spotted Yusuke, up and getting out food for breakfast.

"Making a feast?" Genkai asked as she made her way to the sink, and proceeded to wash her hands.

Without missing a beat, or turning to look at Genkai, Yusuke answered, "You said we had to eat right? I'm making food."

"I also recall saying we needed to sleep. Did you?" Genkai asked pulling out a slap of uncut bacon from her fridge.

"...A little," Yusuke muttered.

"You need more... but I won't decline the help. Just promise me you'll get some more rest later," Genkai muttered, pulling out a sharp knife.

"Fine, I promise," Yusuke swore grabbing a skillet from underneath the stove, "Just later. It's impossible to rest now."

As they worked together in the kitchen Genkai broke the silence by asking, "I don't want to launch into what happened last night, but I do want to know about the mission you were just on. We were all expecting you back much later... what happened?"

"Well we weren't really doing it all on our own," Yusuke explained flipping over a pile of eggs in the skillet, "Yomi had all his ears listening, and Mukuro had sent men out to help look for this group. Like Kurama thought, it really was human and demons working together to kill humans and make it look like some demon trafficking humans group. They were trying to damage what little good we'd managed to do in the last years. Mukuro managed to find out where they all were, and Yomi actually snatched them all up. The ringleader was a bit tough, but I blasted his ass to Kingdom Come!"

Genkai nodded, smiling a little, "Well I'm glad you're back. We all missed you."

"How's Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked, his voice soft.

"Doing well. But there is something new to tell you, and no, it's not bad," Genkai answered sensing Yusuke snap his head towards her, "But breakfast first, and then we'll discuss everything."

Yusuke seemed ready to press for more information, but sighed and went back to the task at hand.

It took maybe an hour for them to all eat, and even longer for everyone to relax. Everyone's nerves were frayed, and it was hard for everyone to settle. But Genkai didn't want to discuss anything that had transpired until everyone could be level-headed. She herself was anxious to carry on as well, but she'd be damned if they had another screaming match. When it was just past eleven, and the group were seated in Genkai's living room, Genkai cleared her throat, "I think we can all talk with level heads now. Or we can at least try! I want to catch you boys up on things that have been happening here, then I want to hear what you have been dealing with in demon world... then we can discuss our guest from last night."

Hiei made a sound of irritation, from his place against the wall, "We haven't been gone for years, we don't have anything to catch up on? What news could we possibly learn?"

"Well, for instance, Kuwabara is gone," Botan said with a sigh at Hiei's temper.

She had chosen a poor choice of words, for Yusuke had slammed his palms hard on to Genkai's coffee table, cracking the wood, "WHAT? What do you mean gone?!"

Kurama was also sitting up straight, and Hiei was so shocked he'd dropped his aggressive stance, and now stood staring at Botan, shock clear on his face.

Botan paled, realizing her mistake, "N-no, it's not bad... Kuwabara is almost done with school. He is now in the phase of his degree where he has to go help students. So he moved to Tokyo to teach at a small school in the Juuban district."

All three demons let out soft relieved sighs.

"It's good to hear he's working hard," Kurama said smiling.

"He should be back in six months to a year," Genkai added, "He should be up for visitors-"

"Not now," Yusuke said quickly, drawing attention in the room. Yusuke's ears tinged red, and he looked away from everyone as he continued, "We shouldn't visit him right now. He's working, and now some fucker is here. Kuwabara might try to rush back. He doesn't need to give up anything else...he's already given up a lot"

Hiei and Kurama both nodded, seeming to agree. "He'll be safe wherever he is," Kurama agreed, "We can contact him when this is all done."

"No reason to tell him at all. We can take care of this new threat, and meet back up with Kuwabara when he's done doing whatever you humans do," Hiei added, crossing his arms and looking at the floor.

Botan's head was swiveling between her three returned friends in the room. Their conversation was startlingly similar to what Kuwabara has said when she'd gone to visit them, and the same sad lonely look was echoed in all their eyes.

"Oh you boys are all so stupid!" Botan cried suddenly bursting into tears.

"Botan. What-"

"You're both worried about the same thing!" Botan choked, flinging her hands out in front of her with anger. "Kuwabara's not just teaching in Tokyo, he's up there spying for Koenma! And he said the same stupid thing about not wanting to tell you because you were all working so hard! You idiots are just trying to protect each other by keeping secrets-AND ITS ALL SO STUPID!" Botan cried hysterically.

"What do you mean he's spying for Koenma?" Genkai asked before Yusuke could explode.

Botan wiped her teary face, "There has been odd sightings and weird energy spikes in Tokyo. Koenma wanted Kuwabara to investigate-"

"How could Koenma be so stupid!?" Yusuke roared, jumping to his feet.

"It's not a dangerous mission. Koenma is almost certain that there are forces working against bad-" Botan tried to explain.

But Yusuke was furious. His eyes flashed, and his cheeks flushed red. His fangs had grown, and his spiritual power climbed high as Yusuke shouted, "Anything could be dangerous! If whoever he's spying on catches wise to him, he could be in real fucking trouble! What gives Koenma the right to send Kuwabara anywhere? We don't fucking work for him anymore, and on top of that-Kuwabara never worked for him!"

"I hate to agree with Yusuke when he's screaming his head off, but I do," Hiei interrupted, "A spy mission is no laughing matter. And shouldn't he be concentrating on that school thing? How the hell can he do that if he's out trying to perform heroics?!"

"Let me explain-" Botan tried again but to no avail.

"What could possibly explain this action?!" Kurama interrupted, his own frustrations spilling out of him like boiling water from a kettle, "When we started our mission, two months ago, Kuwabara was still limping! I know for a fact that limp isn't gone, and his leg must still be hurting. Sending him on his own to investigate odd sightings and weird energy spikes? That should be a team effort!"

"Others were sent beforehand! There are risks, but Koenma and Kuwabara both agree, that Kuwabara is capable," Botan stuttered trying to get a point, only to be interrupted further.

"Letting him go off on his own! I can't-" Yusuke let out a frustrated growl that exploded into a roar, "He should just be worrying about his godamn school! He shouldn't worry about this shit anymore! Sending him alone, when his leg is the way it is! Koenma's just a fucking, selfish piece of-"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Yukina suddenly cried, her voice high and cracking as she jumped to her feet. "Kazuma hates being left behind! He hates it! He can't stand being on his own without you! He wanted to do this to prove that even if he stumbles, he can still keep up! He's not a bird you can keep in a cage!"

A shocked silence settled over the group. Shocked at their anger, their fear, and at Yukina's passionate reveal.

"Did...Kuwabara say all this to you?" Kurama was the first to break the silence.

"No... not really," Yukina sniffled, wiping gems from her face that fell with a tinkling clatter, "Kazuma hated when you left for the makai tournament years ago. He was so proud though... so proud that he studied really hard. He said as long as he was trying his best he didn't feel like he was being left alone. But... but that's what you're doing now. You're trying to protect him, but you're just making him be on his own. And he hates it. He hates to feel like he's being left behind. I could see it clearly in his eyes last time we were together."

Yusuke balled his fists into his hands and cursed as he turned away. He walked to the wall behind him and pressed his forehead against it, sniffling suddenly, "I'm not trying to leave him alone. I can't stand all this. If I'd just gotten to him sooner I could have stopped Harumi-"

"No! Yusuke you can't blame yourself for that again," Genkai interrupted, her voice harsh but her eyes full of understanding and sympathy.

"We can't blame ourselves for Harumi's deeds," Kurama agreed, even as his tone sounded conflicted, "I... I understand wanting to. We all do, but we can't. Kuwabara would hate for us to do so."

Hiei declined to speak, though he turned his face away from the group, a quiet anger burning in his eyes as he remembered the past.

Yusuke let out a shaky breath but did not speak anymore, or turn from the wall. Eventually, Genkai sighed, "We will discuss more about Kuwabara's mission later. For now, let's set it aside... I want to hear more on what you three faced. Have you been injured, do you need to recover, etc, etc. I want to know what your condition is, now that we might be up for another fight."

"There's not much to explain than what I already said. We caught the group, found their stupid fucking leader, and I blew him up," Yusuke muttered.

"We're really fine. We rested before we came back," Kurama assured Genkai.

Genkai snorted looking hard at Kurama's face, "Bullshit. You're all exhausted."

The three demons, while arriving at the nick of time last night, did not look in the best of health. Though no injuries could be seen, dark rings hung in heavy bags under all the boys' eyes. All three were paler, and their tempers short. No doubt the three had gone days without consistent sleep, maybe even weeks.

"The only complaint we could possibly have is fatigue, there is nothing wrong with us," Hiei growled defensively, gritting his teeth.

"That shittier than normal attitude proves my point. You're all exhausted. We need to try and see to that. You may not like it, but you all must get some rest. A day 's worth of rest at the very least. This Lyrae guy, seems the type to wait and formulate a plan, he had that arrogant piece of shit look about his eyes. We should use his ego to our advantage, and **rest**. We can take shifts if it makes you all feel better, but after we're all well and recharged then we can come up with a plan," Genkai snipped, voice firm. She was having none of anyone's bullshit today!

"Wait?" Kurama repeated confusion in his eyes.

"It sounds foolish, but if we try and find Lyrae without thinking anything through, that will be even more foolish!" Genkai snorted, "You all look fried, and working with frayed ends is no good. We need rest, we need to plan...caution is our best step."

"So can we finally talk about this mystery visitor?" Hiei asked, his tone sharp and aggravated, his impatience clear.

Genkai sighed but nodded, "Yes. No use putting it off any longer. This will sound...crazy."

"Crazier than a kid getting hit by a car, dying, making friends with a grim reaper, and then coming back to life after making a deal with a demi-god?" Yusuke snorted, finally turning back around, and sliding down the wall, before crumpling into a seated position. His voice was tired, but he sounded less angry than before.

"No, it's not much crazier than that," Genkai answered with a half smile, "There was a meteor shower last night, and I'm pretty sure this man who calls himself Lyrae fell from the sky."

All eyes were now on Genkai, mouths slightly open as they squinted at her in blatant disbelief.

"I told you, it sounds crazy," she said simply with a shrug. "Last night as the stars fell, I felt a great evil pierce our atmosphere. And then a meteor crashed into the middle of the forest. Soon after that, he arrived. He had this strange ability. His eyes glowed black, and then I found myself barely able to move. Puu was also affected by it. He also clearly had a great amount of strength, as he took Puu head on. They appeared evenly matched."

Kurama made a sound in the back of his throat and shook his head, "That's not good. When we arrived we could sense something... but it didn't feel like demonic energy."

"Or human energy," Yusuke added.

"No... he was different. Very hard to read," Genkai agreed. She rubbed her eyes, before jolting, and straightening back up, "He also gave some other information, his name of course. He said he'd been sealed away, no he said he'd been imprisoned for millennia," Genkai hastily corrected herself, wanting to remember everything she'd heard him say, "He was also after someone. Epsilon. He said he could smell Epsilon here. On me, on Puu, on Yukina...he thinks we're giving him sanctuary."

"Sounds like we're dealing with a basket case," Hiei snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Could...Yusuke be Epsilon?" Kurama suggested as he titled his head in thought.

"Yusuke?" Botan looked over at the red-head puzzled.

"Yes... The man acted as if he knew Yusuke," Kurama explained.

"Yeah. Said he was happy to get a second chance at me. Said he was blessed even!" Yusuke snorted as he recalled Lyrae's delighted face.

"A case of mistaken identity? He thinks you're Epsilon?" Botan questioned, pointing at Yusuke who shrugged in response.

"It's a theory..." Genkai sighed tapping her fingers against her chin, "And it's not a bad one. Yusuke has been here, been near all of us. And he left quite peacefully when he saw you..." She glanced over at Yusuke and studied his face. "This could be a case of mistaken identity..."

"We could run the name Epsilon by Koenma. And mention Lyrae. Perhaps he can give us more information," Kurama suggested.

"That's exactly what we should do. Two of you can go, while the rest of us get some sleep. We need to be prepared for his next attack," Genkai declared, nodding along with Kurama.

"I'll go," Yusuke said quickly, rising to his feet.

"Yusuke," Kurama began, clearly getting ready to protest.

"I'll rest after," Yusuke snapped, voice firm, "I need to talk to Koenma. I can't sit here and take a nap!"

"I'll take you," Botan sighed, "but you do have to come back and rest. Genkai is right... you three are exhausted."

Hiei ignored Botan, but turned to head out the shrine door, Yusuke following in step. Kurama sighed and shook his head, pressing both palms into his eyes. "I am tired...I will rest. I need a clear head," Kurama sighed. His insides twisted against the thought of sleeping when there was still danger all around, but logically he needed to rest. He couldn't plan or even concentrate if he was this exhausted. Genkai placed a hand on Kurama's shoulder, "Rest, and then force your stupid friends to do the same alright?"

Kurama smiled and weakly nodded to Genkai, no longer able or willing to fight his exhaustion.

As he got up to retire to a spare bedroom, he turned to Botan, "Hey... make sure Yusuke doesn't punch anyone in the face."

* * *

The first thing Yusuke did when he saw Koenma, was punch him square in the face.

"YUSUKE!" Botan cried appalled, grabbing the young man's arm.

Koenma was collapsed against his desk, holding his bruised cheek, and sucking on his split lip, "It's fine... he held back."

"I did," Yusuke admitted, words steely as he glared daggers at Koenma, "Because as angry as I am that you sent Kuwabara somewhere, alone... I know that he wanted to go. And I just... you're lucky," Yusuke growled, "Because if you were anyone else I'd think you were playing on Kuwabara's emotions to get a favor!"

" You know I would never," Koenma snarled, spitting blood as he talked. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he steadied himself against his desk, "He wanted to go, he really did." Koenma dropped his hand from his face so that he could look Yusuke's gaze dead on. "I didn't send him to do anything fool-hardy, or anything that will put him in danger. I had sent teams out to investigate this earlier. For months even! They did encounter some danger, but it was all because they tried to approach the danger. He's not to do that, Kuwabara's just there to listen and learn about a few people of interest. He's to call me at the first sign of trouble. It's been days now and all he's done is taught at a school, and listened to rumors."

"I still can't believe you sent him somewhere-even for a small mission-without telling m-us!" Yusuke shouted, quickly catching himself.

"Are you his friend, or his jailor?" Koenma asked, his words icy.

"What?!" Yusuke snapped, shaking Botan off and taking a step closer towards Koenma.

"A cage of love is still a cage, and we all had him locked up tight in it! If we want Kuwabara to recover, physically and mentally, we cant hover over his shoulder. He doesn't want to live that way!" Koenma boldly stated, staring straight back at the Mazoku's flashing eyes.

The room was tense, with Hiei baring as a quiet witness. His stance was aggressive, and he clearly was on Yusuke's side, but he made no motion to attack the demi-god.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Please!" Botan sobbed, breaking between Yusuke and Koenma, throwing her arms around Koenma protectively, "Please don't hurt Koenma anymore! Please stop fighting! What good is attacking each other doing?!"

Koenma seemed startled, and his arms immediately wrapped around the woman in comfort, "Botan..."

Yusuke let out a hot breath and unclenched his fists. He looked at Botan's tightly closed eyes, and tear ravaged face, and felt a sharp stab of guilt. Taking a slow breath Yusuke muttered, "I don't know what's worse. Hating that Kuwabara's alone, or knowing that you're fucking right." Yusuke turned from the pair, and raked a hand through his hair, mussing it as he did so.

Hiei reached out and touched Yusuke's arm, offering silent words of comfort.

"I care about Kuwabara too," Koenma said to Yusuke's retreating back, "I wouldn't put him in danger either. I promise... this is something he can handle. Believe me. Believe in him."

Yusuke sighed, turning back to face Koenma, "I'm not apologizing for punching you in the face, I still owed you a punch, but I'm done. He's gone... a decision he made his own. I'll stop... I'll stop throwing a tantrum about it. Botan... please stop crying."

"You boys!" She sobbed in a watery voice, "So stupid! All of you!"

"I know," Yusuke sighed, half smiling, "You've already said that before."

"Well I really, really mean it! You're all stupid!" She shrieked, her high-pitched squeak and angry wet face coming off as rather comical. She had an iron grip around Koenma's waist, and her cheek was flattened against his chest. Koenma just smiled helplessly, keeping Botan in a loose comforting embrace.

"Next time we see Kuwabara... we'll work this shit out. Promise," Yusuke said.

"Now that that's done, we have a few questions," Hiei finally spoke.

"It's about last night right?" Koenma asked, "Botan called and roughly explained it to me. Some guy attacked Genkai's shrine."

"Yeah some weirdo that fell from outer space!" Yusuke snorted incredulously.

"What?" Koenma gasped, his face twisting in confusion.

"Genkai and Yukina claim that after a meteor shower, and one of the meteors fell in the forest. Then a man calling himself Lyrae appeared and attacked," Hiei explained.

"He was looking for someone called Epsilon," Yusuke added, "You ever hear those names before?"

Koenma's lips pressed into a thin flat line, and with some reluctance, he released Botan. He gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before heading to his desk and pulling a thick book from under a stack of papers. "I really feel like I have heard those names before. But not...not recently," Koenma murmured, flipping through the pages of the book. "I've heard the names... from back when my father was in charge. Back when I was a child, an actual child," Koenma gave Yusuke a sharp look, and Yusuke closed his mouth, disappointed he'd missed a chance for a snarky joke.

"Do we need to look through your father's old files?" Botan asked, her voice thick, but her eyes finally dry.

"Yes I think so... it would be in the special cases. I know that actually doesn't narrow it down too much, but I remember my father panicking. He kept saying the name Epsilon over and over, but there was another name too," Koenma's voice fluctuated in volume as he spoke. He was already working on the task Yusuke had asked of him, and it seemed his focus was already divided in two.

"Do you remember it?" Yusuke asked, approaching Koenma's desk, and trying to peak at the book Koenma was flipping through.

"No. I was younger then, much, much younger!" Koenma sighed, "I''m surprised I even remember the name! But... I dunno. I think I have vague memories of my dad in a panic about something. It had to do with... a dispute or jurisdiction."

"Juri-what?" Yusuke cocked an eyebrow.

"The right to decide if you have legal judgment," Hiei answered joining Yusuke's side, "My guess is something happened, and Koenma's father was trying not to deal with it. Or he wanted to stick his nose in it and had no right to."

"Sounds like my dad," Koenma sighed. He set the book down, "It will take a while for me to go through all this... but I can promise I'll contact you all when I find out anything." Koenma looked Yusuke in the eyes, and frowned, "You should go back to Genkai's get some sleep. You just finished a mission. Rest up while I work on this."

Yusuke let out a disgruntled noise, and rolled his eyes, "You sound like Genkai."

"Then you really should take the advice. Is she ever wrong?" Koenma asked with a smug smile.

"What about Kuwabara," Hiei suddenly interjected, "Should we let him know about this?"

"Yes!" Botan cried, exasperated that the subject was being brought up again.

"I don't know," Yusuke said slowly. At Botan's seething look, Yusuke held up a hand, "Here me out. I'm not speaking out of concern... not completely. Koenma already has Kuwabara on another assignment, and on top of that, he's in Tokyo for school. What good is it to let him know? As far as he knows, we're all supposed to be gone still."

Koenma folded his hands together and rest his chin on top of his laced fingers. He was frowning, "I... I don't know what to say here. If we're being attacked here, I don't think cluing Kuwabara into it all is a good idea. He'd be stressed out, and he is supposed to be gathering information over there. If he can't concentrate he can't do any good, and if he gets too concerned he'll drop everything and come back. If he does that, he risks his degree!"

"But not telling him isn't fair!" Botan cried, "I convinced him to tell all of you," Botan gestured to Hiei and Yusuke with a wave,"what he was doing when you all got back. If he knew you were back, he would have told you where he was!"

"Would he have told us he was on a mission?" Hiei asked, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer.

Botan's face flushed with anger, "I don't know. I can't fully speak to that, but he was going to contact you as soon as he was informed you returned! You can't not say anything! It's not fair! When he finds out, because let me remind you-he's a clairvoyant-he'll be heartbroken!" Botan waved her arms becoming more exaggerated as her anger grew, "If you do this to him... it may break all his trust in us."

There was a long silence as the three men in the room took in Botan's words.

Koenma pulled his pacifier from his mouth and set it on the table, "This is very complicated. I am not trying to dismiss Kuwabara's feelings, or him. Kuwabara is a strong ally, no matter what state he is in now. But... I still don't think telling him what is going on will be beneficial! He can't quit what he's doing now. We could ruin his educational career. We're not in a good spot here."

"Then we tell him we're home," Hiei declared, silencing the squabbling.

"We tell him we're here. He was going to contact us when we came back and tell us where he is," Hiei continued, "If he tells us what mission he's on... then we tell him what we're doing. Quid pro quo."

Yusuke sighed, "I really don't want to hurt Kuwabara. That's the last thing I want. But I think a half-truth is all we can do."

Botan sighed unable to argue against it. Kuwabara had made no real promises to tell Yusuke and the others about his mission. Botan wasn't sure if she could fault Hiei and Yusuke for keeping their new mission a secret.

"We'll call him, but after some rest. I'm starting to feel how goddamn bone tired I am!" Yusuke moaned, rubbing a knot between his neck and shoulder. This whole situation was really starting to wind him up.

Hiei turned from Koenma making his way towards the exit. Yusuke sighed watching Hiei walk away. He turned to Koenma and shrugged, "Get back to us as soon as you can."

Koenma nodded, "I will. I promise."

Hiei slipped out without a sight. Yusuke wasn't sure if Hiei would actually go to Genkai's or instead go and see Mukuro. It was a tough call. Hiei wasn't one to follow orders or instructions, but since the incident with Harumi, Hiei tended to hang around more often. Yusuke had just made it to the door when he heard Koenma say a soft word, "Serenity."

Yusuke blinked and turned back to Koenma, "Koenma?"

Koenma was sitting still, and staring blankly at the book in his hands. When Yusuke said his name, Koenma looked up. He blinked before shaking his head and waving a hand dismissively, "It's not anything, not really. I just remembered another name I heard a lot of. It was being said alongside with Epsilon. Serenity."

"Serenity?" Yusuke repeated.

Koenma nodded absently, going back to his book. Botan walked over to the second desk in Koenma room and began to look under a stack of papers. Clearly, she would be staying behind to help her boss. Yusuke watched the scene for a moment longer, confused at the second name Koenma had said.

"Serenity."

 **End of Chapter 5**


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